We enjoy poetry and prose that best resonates with our inner feelings. Such work draws us to reread or even memorize so we can carry it with us to give words to our inner feelings, longings, desires and anxieties. How often do we have a half-formed idea or thought only to read something that brings it instantly to life? Great poets and great writers have the same feelings as the rest of us. What makes them great is their ability to find expression for us.
Paul’s comment in Romans 8:26 is intriguing. “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 with groans that words cannot express.”
How often have you longed to pray the right prayer but did not really know what to say? It was not that you did not know what you wanted or needed. It was an inability to find words. We do not want to bother God with a string of worn out cliches; nor do we want to bother God with repetitious phrases. That is why Romans 8:26 is so important. It reassures us that we do not have to find the “right” words. The greatest author of all finds expression for us.
Written by Roger Bothwell on November 6, 2000
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