“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
with groans that words cannot express”
(Romans 8:26)
Reflection:
There are times in life where the pain, the anxiety, the fear and the frustration are so great that we cannot begin to find the words that express the intensity of our emotion – the height, depth, and breadth of it all. And because we cannot find the proper words we can find it difficult to even begin to formulate a pray that encompasses all of the need. The only thing that brings any relief is a cry for help – or even just a cry or a scream.
It is a huge relief to know that God fully understands the depth of this pain even more fully than we do. In fact the Spirit Himself does not express it to the Father with the fluency of Shakespeare but ‘with groans that words cannot express.’ And the Father understands.
Tennyson with great insight puts it this way – describing himself as
An infant crying in the night
An infant crying for the light
And with no language but a cry
A baby has no language but a cry with which to express its need. But that cry is very effective and the parents very often know and understand the reason for it. So too does God know and understand, including those things that Wordsworth describes as ‘thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.’
Don’t let a lack of words prevent you from coming to the Lord with a need for yourself or for another person or situation. Lift your heart to Him – and weep, cry out, remain beseechingly silent or just say over and over again “O God, O God, O God.” It is enough.
Prayer:
Father God You read my heart before You read my mind or listen to my lips. Hear the cry of my heart as well as its song even before I turn to You. Amen.
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The Soaring Eagle 