Sunday, April 26, 2015

When We Cannot Pray

"The best prayers often have more groans than words."
--John Bunyan

"In prayer, it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart."
--John Bunyan

“When I cannot read, when I cannot think, when I cannot even pray, I can trust.”
--Hudson Taylor



It was night and everything black.

I had turned off the light, before I was married-turned off the light in my room--

And all was bleak and black and my father had left and times were difficult--

Intensely, frighteningly difficult.

And all was black.

I had been praying.

Pleading, pleading with God over an unanswered prayer--not related to our family's difficult times, but more keenly felt because of them. 

That night, I came to the place where I could not pray.

My words dried up like a barren well--

Every circumstance closing in around me --only darkness and the heavens brass and foreboding to me. 

I had prayed. I had prayed and cried and pleaded and wept and fasted. 


No answer came. 

And I lay down--utterly defeated, utterly spent--utterly discouraged--there in the darkness--

And I wept and I wept and I wept--

The kind of weeping that wholly consumes a person in sorrow, the kind of weeping that eats into the bones and flogs the spirit that is already broken. Rocking and weeping, utterly, utterly spent--

I heard a voice.

Barely audible to me, but there--

And I saw light, shining at the end of the hallway that connected my room with another's. 


My sister was praying--quietly, fervently, just audibly--

I could not hear her words, but I knew that she was praying for me

There in the darkness, my body quieted from the tense, awful, wordless desperation that gnawed into my anguished spirit. 

My tears came more hushed. I listened to her soft voice and settled into sleep as she prayed for me . . . 

For me. 

Very shortly afterward, the Lord answered my prayer--

Marvelously, miraculously. 

Moved His great hand and His willing heart, for me--and answered my prayer.  

My sister's action reminded me of a great truth--

We have an Advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the Righteous,

He is praying for us. 


There are times when we do not have the strength to pray.

Our resources are exhausted, completely spent.

We come to Jesus only with groaning and sighs and tears and sorrow.

And we have an Advocate with the Father.  

He "shows His wounded hands of love" and pleads before the throne of grace.

We receive mercy.

And the Spirit helps--the Spirit Who lives and breathes and moves inside of us--translates our groanings to the Father of grace.


We receive grace. 

He prays for us. 

He loves us.

And answers in mercy. 

I believe that there are seasons in a believer's life--after we have pleaded and fasted and prayed and almost lost heart--that He allows us not even the privilege of words--

So that we realize our utter dependence upon Him. 

Then the Spirit takes up our plea-- and Jesus advocates for us before the throne of grace. 

An answer of love--

In His perfect time.

Our faith is strengthened--the ripened fruit of persevering prayer drops into our yielded, quiet hands with joy. 

Our petitions and pleadings and fastings the reaping and hoeing and preparing the soil.

Our tears watering and nourishing the plant that will bring forth fruit.

And at the end--quiet, surrendered joy--feeling the sun of His love on our backs as we eat the bounty of His faithfulness. 



You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on EarthInspire Me MondayThe Modest MomWhat Joy is Mine, SDG Gathering, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Time Warp Wife, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Motivate and Rejuvenate MondaysSo Much at Home, Raising Homemakers, Hope in Every SeasonA Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries, Whole-Hearted Home, Testimony TuesdayTell His StoryA Soft Gentle Voice, My Daily Walk in His Grace, Women With Intention WednesdaysMessy Marriage, The Charm of Home, Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Mittenstate Sheep and Wool, Imparting Grace, Preparedness Mama, A Look at the Book, Essential Thing Devotions, Thought Provoking ThursdayEvery Day JesusCount My Blessings, Beauty Observed, Christian Mommy Blogger, Renewed Daily, Soul SurvivalGood Morning MondaysThe Weekend BrewBlessing Counters Link PartyThe HomeAcre HopMommy Moments Link UpGrace and Truth LinkupFaith Filled FridaySaturday Soiree Blog PartyTell It To Me TuesdaysSHINE Blog Hop, Faith and  Fellowship Blog HopMotivate and Rejuvenate Monday Link-UpA Little R&R WednesdaysTGI Saturdays Blog HopTotally Terrific Tuesday


38 comments:

  1. What a beautiful sharing of how the Lord miraculously intervened in your situation! He cares, He knows, and He always provides! Wonderful thoughts, and encouraging words!

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    1. Thank you! He is such a faithful and loving Heavenly Father!

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  2. So beautiful and inspiring! Praise God that the Spirit utters our prayers that we cannot even put into words; that Jesus intercedes for us with the Father; and that the Father answers our prayers working all things together for good. Linked up with you at Titus 2 Tuesday -- hope you'll stop by Saved by Grace for a visit!
    God bless,
    Laurie
    http://savedbygracebiblestudy.blogspot.com/

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    1. Thank you, Laurie! I will be stopping by for a visit! :-) The Lord bless you!

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  3. We have the Father even when all else feels rejected or messy. We have the Father in our everyday and we have those who surround us to remind us that He is all we need. I love the image of your sister praying for you as you were praying too. What a stunning picture to carry with you to remind you that in prayer others come right along side you. Blessed to be your neighbor at Testimony Tuesday!

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    1. Thank you for that encouragement, Mary! It is so comforting to think of Him and know Him as our precious Heavenly Father . . . thank you for stopping by; the Lord bless you.

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    2. Thank you for sharing this at The Weekend Brew.

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  4. That is not only a lovely thought but a true one. We stand in the awe-inspiring position of being loved by the Creator, advocated for by the Son, and interpreted for by the Spirit. How can we dare not to pray.

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    1. Yes, Helene! So true . . . Your words struck me with their truth: "We stand in the awe-inspiring position of being loved by the Creator, advocated for by the Son." God bless you, Helene!

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  5. I have always found Romans 8:26 to be a comforting verse. We may sometimes come to the end of our words, but the work on our behalf continues. Have a blessed day, Rebekah!

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    1. Thank you for sharing that verse, Heather! You are right--His work continues even when we don't have the words to speak . . . The Lord bless you, Heather.

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  6. What a beautiful post Rebekah, thank you so much for sharing this at Good Morning Mondays. When we had a still born daughter I remember the tears and crying and feeling like that, but now I know that Jesus was praying for us because even in our grief I felt his peace and comfort knowing where our daughter was and who she was with. Blessings

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    1. I'm grateful that I could share it! It is such a comfort to know that He is praying for us when we are in anguish . . . thank you for sharing that story with me, Terri. He is so faithful, especially through the deep waters.. .

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  7. I am so glad that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us--I've had several seasons of groaning prayers that came out inarticulate and laced in sobs--but I felt so comforted afterwards. Thank you for linking up at #InspireMeMonday :)

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    1. Oh, you're welcome! What would be do without Him? God bless you; thank you for stopping by!

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  8. This is my prayer for you today - the People of the Yielded Hearts:

    Lord, in the name above all names, I pray for those whose eyes You've allowed to linger here on the screen.
    May they be a people ready to take on the mantle of the yielded heart.

    Fill them with the knowledge of Your will in all Spiritual wisdom and understanding so they may lead lives worthy of You.
    With yieldedness of heart may they grow in the knowledge of You.
    May they be strong with all the strength that comes from Your glorious power.
    May they be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to You.


    Please enable them, in the power of Your love, to share in the inheritance of God's people - YOU.
    For You have rescued us from the power of darkness and You have transferred us into the kingdom of Your Beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

    I thank You for hearing this prayer.
    May the gospel, the Good News, bear fruit in them in each and every new day.
    For the Gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world by Your mighty outstretched hand.
    Let these yield hearts and willing vessels know You and participate in Your will as they truly comprehend Your grace.

    Thank You, Lord, a thousand thank You's,
    AMEN*

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing that encouraging prayer! It was such a blessing . . .

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  9. Such a great post, powerful reminder ❤️

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    1. Thank you, Beth! I'm glad that you stopped by! :-)

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  10. So encouraging and inspiring! Praise God for His answers! From Woman to Woman.

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad that it was an encouragement!

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  11. Such a comfort to remember that God hears our wordless groanings as well as the requests we can put to words. Also an amazing blessing that the Spirit Himself also prays for us. Thank you for sharing your encouraging words and the quotes at the beginning.

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    1. You're welcome, Abi! It is such a blessing that He prays for us . . . The Lord bless you!

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  12. Isn't it amazing how God works? How He prompted your sister to pray before He answered your prayer because the whole experience with your sister made it that much sweeter, that much more powerful. So grateful you shared this - how often we need to be reminded that Jesus is constantly interceding for us.

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    1. Yes, Jen! It is so amazing . . . it is so beautiful to know and experience the truth of His Word in our everyday lives. He is Reality, but we grasp the reality of His presence more keenly through these experiences. Thank you for your words and encouragement . . . the Lord bless you.

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  13. Rebekah, I will be sharing this with my prayer group. So encouraging! Thanks for linking up at Thought-Provoking Thursday today! :)

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    1. Oh, that is wonderful, Lyli! I pray that it is an encouragement! Thank you for stopping by; the Lord bless you.

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  14. Such tender and beautiful truth in your words. I was moved to tears remembering the pain I feel as I pray and have a loss for words. When in a dark place it's hard to find that "light in the hallway" but I thank you for reminding me that we have an advocate in Jesus. I am so full of emotions right now that I can barely think as I write to you but to say thank you, thank you for showing me His love. ♥

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    1. Oh, Celi, I'm so glad that it was encouraging . . . I am so, so thankful that He is our Advocate . . . The Lord bless you, Celi; I'm so glad you visited.

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  15. A wonderful post & reminder. When I find I cannot pull words together to pray, I find myself so grateful that our Lord can read our hearts. So grateful we have an advocate. So glad we were neighbors at Recommendation Saturday this morning :)

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    1. Thank you, Joanne! Yes; those are such blessed, beautiful truths! Thank you for stopping here and the Lord bless you!

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  16. Hi Rebekah, we may be without words during prayer, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. May we find peace as we lean wholly on His Grace and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. Amen
    Be encouraged Sister.

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    1. Thank you for that encouragement, Ifeoma! The Lord bless you!

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  17. What a beautiful post and yes, we totally need to rely on Him. He knows all and we need to trust in that!

    Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.

    Wishing you a lovely day.
    xoxo

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    1. Thank you Jennifer; have a lovely week as well! :-)

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  18. A beautiful picture of the power of prayer. God bless.

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