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“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” (Romans 8:26, NIV).
Growing up, prayer seemed so easy. I prayed at meals, when I brushed my teeth, when I went to bed, and when I was stressed. It was the first reaction to my problems, the last thing I thought about before I drifted off to sleep, and how I took care of others.
As I matured, however, prayer became something I went through the motions of. It was no longer something I got to do, but had to do. And that’s when I realized there was a problem.
In Romans 8:26-27, we read these words:
“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. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (NIV).
What I love about this passage of Scripture in relation to prayer is that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we’re weak, weary, or too exhausted to pray. But more than that, He’s not expecting prayer to look a certain way. He’s looking at the condition of our hearts.
Even when you don’t know the words to say, even when you miss the “good old days” of what prayer used to look like for you, remember this: It’s okay to mourn old spiritual rhythms, but prayer isn’t about performance, but presence. And Christ works best through our weakness. When we’re weak, then we’re truly strong. Because we’re learning to rely on Him. We’re acting not of ourselves, but from Him within us.
Paul, in 2 Corinthians, explains this principle this way:
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
Paul didn’t like having a thorn in His flesh. I mean, who does? But even when it remains, he maintains fellowship and intimacy with God. And how did that happen? Through conversations of prayer.