Prayer. It’s so powerful. It’s our wireless connection to God. It’s our place to turn to and feel an immediate connection with God. A way to speak our thanks, appreciation, worries, sorrows, joys, fears, and requests. There are endless types of prayers. Each as important as the others.
Many of us learn at a very young age to pray. Bedtime prayers is usually where it starts. Then you add in morning prayers and next maybe a prayer at meals. Eventually we learn that we can talk with God whenever we want. Anytime of the day or night, we can voice our thoughts and pour out our hearts.
More often than not our strongest prayers are those out of a need – those desperate prayers. Desperate for God to solve our problems. We beg Him to step in and save the day. We pour out our concerns, fears, hurts and heartaches. These prayers can be the easiest to pray and yet can also be the hardest to pray.
Recently I found myself praying one of those hard prayers. My heart was broken. My family was going through something tragic. It was one of those moments where you have no words. All you can do is pray and ask God to step in and intervene. I prayed and prayed. Over and over I laid down my hurt at His feet. Finally I reached a point in my brokenness where I had nothing left to pray. I had no words. I was continuing in prayer but nothing was left to be said. I had poured it all out. How do you pray where there are no words? I was then reminded of Romans 8:26.
“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.”
This was a beautiful reminder that I don’t have to have the words. Through the groans of my heart He hears my prayer. He knows what is on my mind. He knows my heavy heart and sorrowed soul. He knows. The action of prayer is for my benefit. To focus my heart on Him. So as I wait on the Lord, when I have no words, He will hear the groaning of my heart. When I have nothing left to pray, He still hears my prayer.
