ROMANS 8:26-27 
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Last week I wrote a devotional about praying out-loud, and this week the scripture text set for Sunday lifts up prayers of the heart. It’s with a deep thanksgiving that I read these words. I think of the times in my life in which there just weren’t words to express the fear, worry, love or amazement hidden in the recesses of my heart. Those prayers that live in our hearts unable to be formed or molded into spoken words represent both the deepest joys and the most difficult heartbreaks of our lives. Those moments that live inside us, that only the interceding Spirit or someone who has experienced something similar can seem to comprehend.
Can you think of the moments in your life that go unspoken, and yet God attended to them? Either celebrating or grieving with you? And have you sat with a friend or even a stranger who knew the particularity of your joy or pain without needing to exchange words? Who are the ones who know your heart?
May we give thanks for the Spirit that intercedes on our behalf,
coming to our aid and hearing our prayers,
even in the deepest recess of our hearts,
May we give thanks for the listening Spirit that
comes in the form of a friend or stranger,
one willing to be our companion in wordless prayer.
AMEN
Peace,
Shawna
Shawna
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