“In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” Romans 8:26-27

• 

This week begins Lenten season. Perhaps because of all that has been happening in the world or because I miss in-person worship so much, my approach to this season this year is more intense than it has been in the past. I have a deep need to make a personal connection with God through my prayer life for a variety of reasons that span from personal issues and development to the broader context of what God is doing in this season with the church that I serve. I am not alone. A recent meeting with church leadership revealed that others have deep concerns about the future of the church to which my only response was we need to pray. The problem is that I am not sure exactly what it is we need to be praying about.

Sometimes, I think we approach prayer in such a way that it becomes a request list. We tell God what we think needs to happen or what we think He should do and then we expect everything to just fall in line. Other times, we pray and then we expect a voice from the sky to point us in the right direction or we expect something significant to happen that we will perceive as a sign from God. In preparing for Lent this week, I pulled out a book by Mark Batterson, DRAW THE CIRCLE: THE 40 DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE and stumbled across a short jewel, “pray about what to pray about.” (p.11) That short sentence summarized how I felt about the church dilemma. I don’t know what to pray, but I know that prayer is the answer. Then I was reminded of the verse above. I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit, who can understand what I don’t know how to verbalize, who can translate the concerns of my heart and take them to the throne of Grace. And when God is ready to answer, He sends the Holy Spirit back to us with an answer, a knowing, a Word that directs our paths. God’s messages are always just what we need to hear at just the right time, like a ‘thinking of you’ card from a distant friend or relative that shows up in our mail box.

That’s why this text in Romans means so much to me. I don’t always know what I need to pray about, but I have the assurance of knowing that if I just begin to pray, He can read the thoughts of my heart and spirit and respond with a divine message that reveals His will, His character and His Word. Sometimes it comes special delivery and other times it feels like snail mail, but He never fails to answer and it is always just what I need in the moment.