Faith and Prayers

Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 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. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8: 24-28

As part of a prayer team, I get asked to pray for some terribly heartbreaking things. There just don’t seem to be words adequate to express the hurt, the anger, the utter chaos that these situations create. The good news is that God knows what is happening. He knows every emotion they cause, even when we are too confused to know how we feel.

Sometimes when we pray, it is for an unnamed request or one where we don’t know details. But there are plenty of times I still don’t know what needs to be covered. I am so grateful for Romans 8. I can pray and know that the Holy Spirit has me covered. When I hear of something tragic happening, such as evil in the world, I don’t have to have all the right words. I think that is what prevents people from praying. They are afraid or embarrassed that they don’t know what to say. Really, all we have to do is bring it up to our Father and He will understand.

Romans 8:24-28 is linking the fact that we don’t see what we are hoping for with our prayers. Until recently, I didn’t really understand the similarity. Now I see that both faith and prayers are invisible. We cannot see, feel, or sometimes even express them. I don’t know about you, but I know sometimes I don’t even know what I hope for. It can seem concrete one minute then fly out the window the next. I change my mind, but God never changes His nature. He always knows what we need.

The best part of this passage to me is Romans 8:28. We can feel safe knowing that God is working everything out for our good and His glory. All the things we pray about now will one day be resolved. We don’t know how or when, but we don’t have to know. As long as we leave it with God, He will weave it into something beautiful. We just have to have faith and pray in our limited way, and God will do the rest.

Linking with Holley Gerth