Have you ever been speechless before God? Perhaps you know the frustration of being utterly unable to find the right words to pray.
Imagine a loving parent seeking to help a child with a speech problem. As the youngster struggles to express his feelings and desires, the parent with his own voice formulates what the child wants to say. This is a picture of how the Holy Spirit catches our deepest longings and aspirations and brings them in line with the Father's ultimate purposes for us.
The weaknesses spoken of in Romans 8:26 refer to our inability to pray intelligently. This is evident from the phrase that immediately follows: "For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought." The Holy Spirit, who knows us better than we know ourselves, helps us. He takes our feeble attempts, and in a language all His own He interprets them to the Father in keeping with His holy will.
What a mystery! What a motivation to pray--especially when the words do not come freely. Even the faintest cry of "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15) reaches heaven's throne.
We may not know what to pray for, but we have a holy prayer partner who does. That should stir us to keep on praying, no matter how helpless we feel. — Dennis J. De Haan
O God, too weak and worn for words, I shrink
From trials that deeply wound, and yet to think
Your Holy Spirit helps me as I pray
And gives a voice to what I cannot say. --Gustafson
When you can't put your prayers into words, God hears your heart.