“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. (Romans 8:26 MSG)
I have always loved words. I am in awe of those who can express an insightful thought with a well crafted sentence. In speech, in writing, or even in our thoughts, choosing the perfect words and stitching them together gives shape to our ideas and emotions. Language may be an essential part of communicating with other people, but it isn’t necessary with God.
Many of us rely on words when we pray. We look to Scripture verses, lyrics from songs, repetitious petitions, and prayers we learned long ago. This might be necessary when we are with a group of people, but not when we are communicating privately with God. We don’t even have to formulate our thoughts into words. The Spirit of God understands our sighs and groans. He shapes our thoughts. Sometimes He speaks through visual images or whispered nudges. Other times He gets our attention through coincidences--unrecognized miracles that are often attributed to random luck. As we yield to the Spirit, He prays through us--going beyond our limited vocabulary, our earthly aspirations, and our human inhibitions.
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