Dr. Dan Hayden •
Feelings are sometimes hard to put into words. Emotions can run deep and verbalizing them can be virtually impossible. You can’t express them, they are inutterable. That’s our subject today—“groanings too deep for words.”
As a minister, I have often been with people who were stricken by grief at the loss of a loved one. I must admit that, as a young minister, I was intimidated by those situations. I was afraid I wouldn’t know what to say. Over the years, however, I have learned that for the grieving person, the important thing is not words, but heart. Knowing that I truly cared was far more important than anything I could possibly say because, quite frankly, the hurt was too deep for words. The Holy Spirit understands that. In the midst of our suffering and pain, the Holy Spirit prays with us—not with words, but with deep feelings out of a compassionate heart that cannot be expressed.
Romans 8:26 says, “…the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The King James Version translates it “groanings which cannot be uttered” and that is literally what it means—not uttered. This word means “no speech.” It is something unexpressed or inexpressible.
What then, is the Holy Spirit really doing in our prayers? Well, the bottom line is, He is is identifying with us emotionally and is involved in our prayers in ways that words cannot express. He bears our concerns before the Father and intercedes for us “with groanings too deep for words.”
You need to know that the Holy Spirit really cares when He prays for us!
For further study, see The Prayer Puzzle.