Wordless prayer is God's gift to the brokenhearted
At the moment when we're in the deepest pit of suffering, that's when wordless prayer kicks in.
There are hurts too intense for words. We can't even begin to put sentences together, let alone figure out exactly what we need. Some losses can't be fixed. Some abuse can't be forgotten. Some crashed dreams can't be restored.
One of God's finest attributes is compassion. The Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ's presence within the believer, monitors our emotions second by second. When we can't pray, He takes over. The Spirit, who knows us better than we know ourselves, articulates our need to Jesus, who takes it to his Father.
This wordless prayer is a little-understood gift from God.
"God with us"
Seven hundred years before Jesus Christ appeared in human form, the prophet Isaiah said the Messiah would be born to a virgin and would be named Immanuel. Translated into English, Immanuel means "God with us."
During his ministry, Jesus worked and taught and performed miracles among the people of Israel. After his resurrection, he sent the Holy Spirit to take his place on Earth, while he ascended back to heaven.
Today, followers of Jesus can still say "God is with us," because the Holy Spirit dwells supernaturally within every Christian.
Besides guiding us, convicting us of sin, and interpreting the Bible for us, the Holy Spirit also acts as our spokesman in prayer. He perceives our needs (often when we can't) and turns them into a prayer request.
Wordless prayer is a great mystery, but the Apostle Paul assures us it happens:
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. (Romans 8:26, NIV)
The Holy Spirit doesn't wait for us to ask him. He takes the initiative right away to act on our behalf. God cares. He takes into account our hurt and our limited understanding of our own situation. All he asks of us is that we love him.
Not a substitute
Prayer is work. One of the reasons we don't pray as much as we should is that it takes concentration. Our minds wander no matter how much we try to stay focused.
We can't give up, however. We can't say, "Oh, this is too hard. I'll just let the Holy Spirit do my praying for me."
While the Spirit is a willing helper in prayer, in most instances God wants us to talk to him ourselves. It's part of the sanctification process, that lifelong journey of growing closer to God. Wordless prayer, as described in this article, is chiefly a crisis activity for when we are emotionally unable to pray.
When we're the most agitated, that's when we really need to stay connected to God. During those times, we're especially vulnerable to attacks by Satan. To get quick relief, we may make bad decisions. God can slow us down and help us think clearly.
In his parable about the vine and the branches, Jesus told us to "abide" in him. Abiding, even in those non crisis times, is another form of wordless prayer. We don't have to say anything. Just thinking of Christ and feeling connected can do a world of good.
When you love someone, simply spending time with them is reassuring. Two people who are close don't even need to converse. The bond is there, showing us we're not alone. Friends of Jesus are never alone.
Wordless prayer: God never forsakes us
We can feel alone in the universe, but feelings are not facts.
Even when we're angry with God, he still lives inside us. We don't use the word "forsake" any more, but the New Living Bible has a good translation of this verse:
"For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT)
We may walk out on God, but he never walks out on us. Like the parable of the Prodigal Son, God is always waiting for us to return to him. The Holy Spirit continues in wordless prayer for us while we are at our lowest.
There is much about prayer we don't understand, but we can be sure of the character of God. He reveals himself to us in his Word. That's why it's so important to read the Bible. In its pages we see how God stuck with his chosen men and women.
You are one of his chosen people too. It doesn't depend on mighty deeds or being rich or good-looking. It depends on a loving Father putting his finger on your life.
The Bible promises us God is reliable. The Holy Spirit is always on the job, whether we can detect it or not, keeping Jesus informed of what we need.
That's a life-changing blessing of being a Christian.
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