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. (Romans 8:26-27)
Have you ever thought about the idea that your prayers might get translated? You love someone, and you pray for them to have what you think of as a happy, fulfilling life, and that person continues to face struggles and not the sort that give an appearance of being related to their being wicked.
From our perspective, God’s answer to a prayer for blessing can seem a little … off. Maybe even down-right mean. We’ve prayed for what is best for our loved one, and God does that?
Of course, the reality is that God, being omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and all-wise, considers it a blessing to a person to draw them closer to Himself – and nothing draws one close to God as effectively as struggles. God considers making a person a stronger, better, more mature person, blessing that person, and nothing builds spiritual muscle: strength, virtue, or maturity, better than some resistance.
When I’m facing resistance and my emotional muscles are exhausted, I’ve found myself repeating two phrases. One, Dad taught me when he was delusional. He’d call, “Help me!” over and over. The other, used much the same way, is “Please, Lord.” Sometimes it doesn’t take much to reduce me to these repetitious two-syllable prayers. I don’t tend to like them as prayers, because they voice my weakness, but I sometimes wonder if those are the prayers that are truest, and that need no translation.
C.S. Lewis wrote about reaching a point where he didn’t ask God for something for someone. He pictured them as clearly as he could, and gave the person over to God, wrapped up in the “bow” of his desire for their blessing. I have a hard time picturing people sometimes, so I tend to use words. Fortunately, the Spirit can translate both my words and my heart’s cries into a language God understands. Our lives are, at least in part I think, about our learning to translate God’s words and heart-cries into a language we can understand.
From our perspective, God’s answer to a prayer for blessing can seem a little … off. Maybe even down-right mean. We’ve prayed for what is best for our loved one, and God does that?
Of course, the reality is that God, being omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and all-wise, considers it a blessing to a person to draw them closer to Himself – and nothing draws one close to God as effectively as struggles. God considers making a person a stronger, better, more mature person, blessing that person, and nothing builds spiritual muscle: strength, virtue, or maturity, better than some resistance.
When I’m facing resistance and my emotional muscles are exhausted, I’ve found myself repeating two phrases. One, Dad taught me when he was delusional. He’d call, “Help me!” over and over. The other, used much the same way, is “Please, Lord.” Sometimes it doesn’t take much to reduce me to these repetitious two-syllable prayers. I don’t tend to like them as prayers, because they voice my weakness, but I sometimes wonder if those are the prayers that are truest, and that need no translation.
C.S. Lewis wrote about reaching a point where he didn’t ask God for something for someone. He pictured them as clearly as he could, and gave the person over to God, wrapped up in the “bow” of his desire for their blessing. I have a hard time picturing people sometimes, so I tend to use words. Fortunately, the Spirit can translate both my words and my heart’s cries into a language God understands. Our lives are, at least in part I think, about our learning to translate God’s words and heart-cries into a language we can understand.
Comments
Post a Comment