Praying without Words, Praying in the Spirit (15)

We have seen that praying in the Spirit may mean praying with our native tongue, that is, “with the mind”; or praying with the new tongue (promised in Mark 16:17), that is, “with the spirit.” But it may also mean praying with no tongue at all, that is, “with sighs too deep for words” (RSV) or “groanings which cannot be uttered” (KJV). This is a very important aspect of the teaching of Romans 8:26–27 that we must now consider.

If some have found the idea of praying in an unknown tongue perplexing, they may find this idea of inarticulate praying even more so, for here there is no language at all—the only speech is sighs and the only grammar groans, and even these are silent because inexpressible. It should be emphasised here that this type of praying is not generally for the public gathering but for the secret place.

Let us not shut our minds to what at first may appear to be incomprehensible, even irrational. Of course, it is not irrational; like so much else in the realm of the Spirit, it is super-rational. Faith can lead us into this realm, but not reason. Let us come, then, to this teaching of God’s word with a reverent and humble spirit, and the prayer: “Teach me what I do not see” (Job 34:32).

Notice that in this passage Paul speaks of the groaning of the whole creation (Rom. 8:22), the groaning of the believer (8:23) and finally the “groanings which cannot be uttered” (KJV) of the Spirit Himself (8:26). Since the same root word is used in this last verse (26) as in the other two verses (22, 23) 1 we shall follow the King James Version’s rendering and refer to the “groanings” of the Spirit, rather than the “sighs too deep for words” of the Revised Standard Version. However, the important point is that, whichever rendering we prefer, this refers to a form of praying without words.

To many this reference to the groaning of the Spirit presents no problem. They assume that this intercession of the Holy Spirit is, like the intercession of Christ at the Father’s right hand, performed quite apart from us. It has not registered with them that it has anything to do with the believer, except that it is performed on his behalf. Once we grasp the fact that the Holy Spirit never intercedes for us unless He intercedes in us and through us, we begin to see the significance of the Spirit’s groaning.

In the second post in this series, we referred to the change of wording adopted by the Revised Standard Version in verses 15–16: “When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’it is the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit. . . .” When we cry, it is the Spirit crying. The action of the divine Spirit merges with that of the human spirit to produce a joint witness. In the same way, this groaning is a joint groaning of the believer (8:23) and the Spirit (8:26).

Notice that we who groan are said (8:23) to have “the first fruits of the Spirit.” Ours is therefore of a different order to the groaning of the whole creation; it is wholly spiritual because it is the product of the Spirit. We may think of the groaning as part of the first fruits—the produce of His working in us.

Note that it is the Spirit who groans and that God has sent Him forth into our hearts. So it is in our hearts where His groaning takes place. “And He who searches the hearts of men,” continues the apostle, “knows what is the mind of the Spirit” (8:27). In speaking of the One who searches the hearts of men he is obviously referring to God (1 Sam. 16:7; Jer. 17:10). Why, then, does he not say “God”? Surely to impress upon us that it is the great Searcher of human hearts who knows what the Spirit’s groaning means, for it is in human hearts that the groaning takes place. Notice also how the reference to the believer groaning “inwardly” (8:23) corresponds to the Spirit’s “groanings which cannot be uttered” (8:26, KJV).

Can we groan inwardly and not be aware of it? Can the Spirit groan within us and we not know it? Surely not, if these two groanings are one. What has been said of the other two kinds of praying in the Spirit is equally true of this. It is our prayer inspired and energized by the Spirit within us. The believer is praying without words simply because that is how the Spirit is moving within him.

In the earlier posts, much has been drawn from these two verses in Romans 8 without any mention of this particular kind of wordless praying. That is because the basic facts of our weakness and the Spirit’s help are true, whatever the kind of praying. There are principles here that can have wider application than that which Paul gives to them. This should not obscure the fact that the reference here is specifically to inarticulate praying. Since this is the only passage in the Bible that teaches us what praying in the Spirit really is, it should at least impress us with the importance of this aspect, even if it does not lead us to conclude that this is the highest and most powerful form of prayer available to man.

On the face of it the idea of prayer being conveyed in the form of groans or sighs rather than words is difficult. How can groans convey anything to God? The apostle seems to anticipate this question, for he continues:

“And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (8:27)

Though the prayer is an inaudible sigh or groan deep in the heart of the intercessor, God the searcher of hearts knows what the Spirit is conveying. Here surely is what may be rightly called “the language of the Spirit”—that which is peculiarly His own, while “tongues” is but the language of men, or possibly angels.

Now the original does not say that the Spirit intercedes “according to the will of God,” but simply “according to God.” This is even stronger, for it suggests that the Spirit’s activity is not merely in harmony with God’s will but regulated by God. So we are back to the picture of the electric circuit—the impulse that comes from God by the Spirit returns to God.

Groaning is the expression of physical or mental suffering, and here, in the context of Romans 8, the figure that Paul uses is the pain of childbirth. In verse 22 he speaks of “groaning in travail.” A woman in labour not only groans because of her labour pains but also with a desire to bring forth. It is not just pain, but pain transfigured by longing, by hope, and by expectation.

In this realm of prayer-travail described by Paul in verses 26 and 27, there is inevitably suffering, spiritual in nature, though it may have physical accompaniments. Naturally, we shrink from this, but let the following considerations strengthen us for whatever the Spirit may demand. First, this is one aspect of the “fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.” It is said of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, “being in an agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44). He invited three disciples to share that lonely prayer vigil, but they failed Him by falling asleep. Shall we fail Him now in His great unfinished work of intercession?

Then there is the glorious fact that we have emphasised throughout this series, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness”— even in this weakness we feel in the face of suffering. He comes in His capacity as the Comforter, to solace our griefs, to ease our pains, to strengthen our wills that we may not faint, nor even flinch, but endure to the end. Finally, there is the glorious hope that is the subject of the whole passage to spur us on. We are travailing to bring forth. A new age is about to be born—and how much nearer we are to it than when Paul penned these words to the Roman believers. The sons of God are to be manifested. A new “man” is to appear before the universe in the perfection of his manhood, having come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

We may have read the lives of great intercessors like “Praying Hyde” of India, and perhaps we have associated this kind of praying with such. No doubt, we argue, these had a special call and a special ministry in this realm, but it is “altogether beyond people like ourselves.” This may provide us with an easy escape, but let us first ask ourselves whether it may not be a cover for our unwillingness or our unbelief. And before we settle for the “specialist” theory let us read the passage again with hearts truly open to the Lord, and ask ourselves if there is any hint in Paul’s words that this is a special ministry involving a special call. He says:

“We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [are you included here?], groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved . . . But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” (Rom.8:23–26)

It would seem that Paul is speaking in very general terms and that if we have ears to hear, hearts to receive, and wills to obey, we may trust ourselves to our heavenly Teacher to lead us into this deep mystery of prayer. I believe that in these closing days of this age, the Lord will raise an army of intercessors who pray at all times in the Spirit, with all kinds of prayer, including this.

Credit: Arthus Wallis, edited by Robert Irvine

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