Romans 8: 26
Sometimes people tell me that their prayer life isn't what it could be because they don't know what to say in prayer. Sometimes I don't, either. Sometimes all I have are emotions, or thought fragments, or perhaps I'm just empty.
So, do we skip prayer on such days, since we don't know what to say?
No, because we're not the only ones praying. Our prayer is also accompanied by the intercession of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is that person of the Trinity that lives with us and within us. His ultimate goal is to shape us into the image of Christ, but He also comforts us, informs us, guides us, and convicts us. On the empty or confused days, He aids us in prayer.
The Bible tells us that God listens to the Holy Spirit present with you, and the Spirit fills in all the gaps in your prayer. Romans 8: 26 reads:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Other translations use the marvelous phrases, "with sighs too deep for words." Sometimes words are not enough, but sighs and groans are. They are prayer, too. And they are received by God the Father as prayer.
Sometimes I often my mouth to pray, but what I have to say comes out of my eyes, not my mouth. That's when the Spirit completes my prayer, perhaps with words, but more often with tears of His own.
I find the Spirit to be the Great Completer, who multiples my meager efforts to serve the Lord, who fills in the gaps in prayer, and who even completes my devotionals as they resonate with the reader. I hope this resonates with you today. Be in prayer, even if you're not the one doing all the praying.
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