What is the context?
Paul has described believers waiting for the redemption of their bodies, sharing in creation’s groaning. He now speaks of another kind of help during that wait: the Spirit meets them in their weakness, including not knowing how to pray.
Intercedes means acts on their behalf. The next verse explains that this help agrees with God’s will. The point is not that believers must discover a special prayer technique, but that their limited understanding does not exhaust the help God provides.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Christians commonly understand this verse as comfort for people whose prayer is marked by weakness or an inability to find words. The assurance rests in the Spirit’s help, rather than in an impressive or carefully managed performance of prayer. Reading verse 26 together with verse 27 keeps that help connected to God’s will.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
Paul also says in Romans 8:34 that the risen Christ intercedes for believers. Read together, the statements show God providing help through both the Son and the Spirit. The family relationship described earlier in the chapter includes help in the weakness of those who belong to Him.
What is our position?
Our studies Prayer and Faith and What Does Prayer Look Like? understand these verses as an invitation to bring our weakness honestly before God. Prayer does not depend on perfectly formed requests. The Spirit helps where our understanding and words fall short, according to God’s will. We can trust Him without treating prayer as a way to secure a particular outcome.