More Than Words

Beads of perspiration form on your brow, your heart flutters, your mind swims. An endless loop replays in your head: the screaming argument with your mother; the temptations that you've tried your best to overcome that day; a schedule so full you can't calm your thoughts enough to fall asleep at night.

You've probably been there at some point in your life. You rush before God like an eager child bursting into a room full of toys only to find that you have no idea how to begin to pray. You don't know if you should be asking for guidance, protection or forgiveness - or all of the above. And what about how to prioritize your list?

Maybe you've finally got a minute to yourself, so you grab your Bible, look up at the ceiling and think, Now what? That list you've been building in your mind goes blank. The phone rings. The kids cry. The tv blares from another room. The dog barks. Anything...everything interrupts the moment.

How do you pray when words fail?

Enter the Holy Spirit. He perceives our heart's agony and comforts us in our weakness. He knows our spiritual battle often burns hottest when we fight within ourselves. We wrestle with how to prioritize our prayers. We struggle with imposing our human agendas on a holy God. We cross our arms, grit our teeth and mentally (sometimes physically!) stomp our feet when things don't turn out as we desperately prayed they would. Life's frustrations can mute us spiritually.

We do not know what we ought to pray for...Romans 8:26

But God does not stop hearing us when we're dumbstruck before Him. Both in silence and when our words flow in a jumbled torrent, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf to the Father.

He knows what to pray for.

So the next time your spirit groans with a weight heavier than you can bear, trust that even when you might not be able to find the words, God clearly hears your cries through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. He knows your heart. He knows your thoughts. He knows your greatest needs better than you do yourself. And though your words may fail, your intercessor will never fail you.


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. 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. Romans 8:26-27