The Groanings

The Groanings

The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. - Romans 8:26

The charismatics often say that these groanings have to do with praying in tongues. That is adding self-interpretation into the Scriptures.

Nowhere did the Scriptures say that groaning = tongues.

The word 'groaning' in Greek is the word 'sigh', which is a feeling that is internal and unexpressed. That is why it 'cannot be uttered.' If groaning is praying in tongues, then it can be uttered because tongues are also uttering.

The only time where the exact same Greek word appears in the New Testament is in Acts 7:34, which points to Exodus 2:23-24.

And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. - Exodus 2:24

Applying the law of the first mention, this groaning is NOT tongues, because the Israelites did not have the Holy Spirit within them. They were groaning because they were crying out for help (Exo 2:23) due to slavery. Groaning reveals a desire or burden within them to be set free from the bondage of slavery.

The root word of groaning is "stenazo", which also appears in Mark 7:34.

And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”. - Mark 7:34

This is Jesus groaning (stenazo), aka sighing, before He ministered healing to the man. It is an inward feeling that isn't expressed in words, but it conveys the desire and burden. Jesus looked up to heaven and signed (groaned), revealing that the groaning is UPWARDS towards God the Father, just as the Israelites' groaning went up to the throne of God.

Have you had times when there were pressures from all sides but you didn't know how to pray for yourself, yet there was a desire and burden within? The Holy Spirit was interceding.

Have you had times when there was a desire and burden to pray for a person, but you didn't know what to pray? The Holy Spirit was interceding for that person through the 'sighing' in you.

The desire, burden and intention are sufficient for the groan to reach the throne. We are still thinking religion when God is thinking union and relationship. We are ONE with Him. This is why the feeling within you is the place where intercession by the Spirit takes place.

What a loving Father we have!