Helen Keller lost her ability to hear and see at only nineteen months old. Eventually, her teacher Anne Sullivan helped young Helen learn to read Braille and raised type. By age nine she could also read people’s lips with her fingers and speak. Sullivan attempted to help Helen understand the word love. The teacher made several attempts to explain the concept, which only puzzled her pupil. Then one day Sullivan said that love was like sunshine—sweetness that pours into everything. That’s when Helen Keller first understood the word love.
Even for those of us who can see and hear, there are experiences in life we struggle to comprehend. Some of them and the emotions that come with them are buried so deeply in our consciousness that we’re scarcely aware of their existence, let alone able to describe them clearly. How then can we bring these hidden and often painful struggles to God?
Scripture gives us comfort in this struggle, reminding us that our prayers aren’t dependent on our ability to communicate clearly to God. Instead, we have the Holy Spirit with us in prayer. And the Spirit doesn’t simply listen to our prayers but actively “prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26). Similarly, in John 14 Jesus says that in the Holy Spirit we find a Helper who is our advocate to the Father (John 14:26).
Perhaps like me you often try to rely on your own abilities to pray effectively. We may try our best to pray well, which isn’t wrong in itself, but find our words woefully inadequate. But we can take great comfort in the realization that when our words fail and our strength falls short, the Holy Spirit searches our hearts and intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:27).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Daniel 2:1-24
More:
Read Psalm 139:1-24 for a beautiful description of the extent to which God knows us and searches our hearts.
Next:
Do you often find yourself praying in your own strength? How can you become more aware of the help and presence of the Holy Spirit in prayer?
Gary Shultz on May 29, 2017 at 5:53 am
Hi Peter: I am so glad God understands our weakness, our humanness. He understands our lack of fervor and passion for things we should better attend. He understands that reading unknown people’s names from a list on a sheet of paper seems rather meaningless. As Jesus was disappointed with the disciples when He prayed, so I must know my prayers must often be of little push from the heart. In all that we do we need Jesus, we need the Spirit to take such weak offerings and make a glorious request to our whimpers. We must seek God in our prayers as we seek Him in life’s needs, in our walk, and in our time with Him. I often find prayer, as it is, difficult. It is also a privilege, and when shaken we find a God willing to work with us. We find great satisfaction in knowing we can rest our deep cares and longings with Him. To know we receive great kindness in God’s hearing, and He stands in the gap for us. Thanks Peter
don777 on May 29, 2017 at 6:14 am
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 3:30 (NKJV) He must increase, but I must decrease.
Isaiah 64: (NKJV) 6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags
We can not pray much less anything else apart from Christ. We need a Savior every day all day. To save us from our selves, We get in the way of God. Oh Father please give me the strength to let go of self, surrender to You & the strength to stay focused & hold on to You In Jesus Name i pray.
conmeo on May 29, 2017 at 8:11 am
Hi Peter and fellow ODJers. This is quite the timely devotion. We have been discussing this recently with much fervor at times with differing opinions, from those who profess praying in tongues is the required method to those who say “my walk with the Lord” is evidence enough that I am doing well and praying effectively enough. The walking “well” folks sometimes can appear to be white knuckling things. There are many ways to be blind and walking in darkness. Be it appearances before others, denial, buried truths, pride, control or any of a thousand reasons for these buried experiences we can not, or will not comprehend. We have the Heavenly Partner in the Holy Spirit to walk with us and talk with us and lead us to the love that like Helen Keller discovered “that love was like sunshine—sweetness that pours into everything.” What awesome sweetness Our God pours into us. The gift of Jesus, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the simple love. In the Psalm you reference it says “but even in darkness I cannot hide from you” Ps. 134:12b. The Holy Spirit speaks to us the things we cannot hide from our Father. We rely on the Holy Spirit, part of which is listening to those groaning(s), not always doing the speaking of and in our own strength. Galatians 5 speaks well of the freedom this gives; freedom in Jesus Christ and life in the Holy Spirit. Freedom described in Galatians 5:13 (NLT), “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” Also the fruit given to us through the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, ” But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” The spoken Word gifting to us awareness presence and help of the Holy Spirit….Awesome!