Romans 8:26-27
"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."
Ephesians 6:18
"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."
Romans 8:34
"Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."
Do you ever feel weak in your prayer life? I know I do, especially when I hear someone who has a way with words pray out loud. Many of us have a weakness expressing our hearts desires and praises in our talks with God. We know how we feel about our afflictions, triumphs and plateaus of life but we just can't come up with the right words.
Thankfully, God knew we would have this weakness. Therefore, God gives believers the power of the Holy Spirit to help us where we fail. This weakness is not limited to any generation, but it is a human characteristic.
"Paul wrestled with the same thing in Philippians 1:22-24, where he couldn’t decide whether to pray that the Lord would take him home, which was Paul’s desire, or preserve his life for further ministry. Moses entreated the Lord to let him enter the Promised Land, but that was not God’s will (Deut. 3:25-26). Elijah, man of prayer that he was, asked the Lord to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). Even Jesus, in His humanity, prayed that if possible, the Father might allow Him to escape from the cross, if it would be God’s will (Matt. 26:36-46). The point is, we’re all weak in many areas, including prayer. We often don’t know how to pray as we should. But, thankfully, God doesn’t leave us to ourselves." [bible.org]
In Romans, Paul’s overall intent is to encourage us with the fact that God has not left us on our own in our weakness. Rather, His Spirit helps us by praying for us.
Prayer is our personal and direct communication with God.
It is a gift that we often take for granted. We don't have to wait for confessional hour set by someone else to have a talk with God. I love the truth in these lyrics, "I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord--No tender voice like Thine can peace afford--I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby--Temptations lose their power." God wants us to call on Him at anytime, anywhere, and for any reason--nothing is trivial to Him.
As for myself, it is easier for me to pray for others than for my own life. I pray for strength and courage that I will embrace God's will for me, especially in the rough times. I pray that my eyes will see the foolishness of this world and to keep my focus on my eternal life ahead. I am weak too in prayer by distractions, doubt, and frustrations but my prayer life will continue because of my faith in Christ alone.
3 Reasons To Encourage You in Prayer [bible.org]
- Don’t let the fact that you don’t know how to pray as you should discourage you from praying.
- Don’t let the fact that prayer isn’t easy discourage you from praying.
- Don’t let the fact that your prayers don’t seem to be answered keep you from praying.