In memory of Meagen
The Spirit Has the Words
Read Romans 8:22-26
“ . . . For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
-Romans 8:26 (NKJV)
I prayed at her bedside for healing of the cancer that ravaged her body. At the age of twenty-eight, she had the promise of life, and three small children who needed their mother. Assembled in the surgery waiting room with family and friends, we held hands and prayed. When the test results returned, the tear-soaked eyes of her husband pleaded for something more promising than the treatments offered to his wife, so we prayed again.
There are moments in life when words evaporate, times when we yearn to tell the Lord how much our heart aches, but we feel as though we have used all the syllables. We try to call out, but our language doesn’t contain the words that our tongue can use to express our anguish. During this time of weakness the Holy Spirit speaks to God for us. The Spirit of Christ takes our silent groaning, the thoughts and feelings we can’t put into voice, and places them at the feet of the Almighty. So when you don’t know what to say—just pray.
Heavenly Father, hear the cries of your children through your Spirit. Comfort us with your tender hand. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
Rory C. Keel