Sighs and Groans too Deep for Words

Rom 8:26-27

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. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Unlike the rest of my extended family, I was not brought up with the idea of memorizing prayers that you would then recite in order to gain God’s favor. My mother, Gloria, taught me to kneel next to my bed and to pray to “Papa Dios”, or Daddy God. I would fold my hands and close my eyes and just talk to God.

The more I grew to know His Word and understand Who He is, the more sophisticated my prayers became.

2 Tim 1:12b

… I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

However, I have to say that a couple of events have greatly impacted the way that I view prayer.

The first was when I was in college and I was assigned to go to a state mental hospital in Upstate New York where I had to minister to a group of severely mentally challenged individuals. In those days, we called them mentally retarded to differentiate from those who had other mental problems.

I had to really simplify things, and the one thing that was the greatest challenge was simplifying the prayers. They were so simple they were childlike. It really drove home something that I instinctively knew from reading the Word but which the Spirit made it come to life through me experience with those dear saints.

Matt 6:7-8

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

In another version of the Bible it talks about vain repetitions. Repeating memorized prayers over and over again won’t get them heard.

The second one was the time that I was praying for a missionary who was home on furlough and now that he was getting ready to go back to the mission field, he was being blocked by some pretty nasty, unfounded accusations.

I knew how much going back meant to him because of the love that he had for those people. I prayed and prayed, both in English and in Spanish and still I found I couldn’t adequately express the deep pain and sorrow that my friend was experiencing of behalf of his flock.

It was then, for the first time in my life, that the Holy Spirit took over and I began to pray in tongues. Now mind you, I had asked God for the gift for over 20 years and nothing had happened. Some friends would tell me to just start uttering sounds and that it would come, but it just felt forced to me.

On this occasion there was no doubt that it was the Spirit. Something happened deep inside of me and I knew that I had connected with the heavenly realms.

For the first time I truly understood that it is not about my words, but that when I am obedient to pray, the Spirit takes my puny words and translates them into sighs and moans too deep for words. The Spirit prays the Father’s will back to Him on my behalf.