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).
When I saw the title of this post, I was struck with novelty. The notion of praying without words caused me to pause.
For years, I've known that while words can be powerful, they're also somewhat limited in that they're an attempt to put something formless into form. It's much like that Taoist saying that goes something like this: "The Tao that can be spoken is not the Tao."
I didn't have to ponder long to appreciate the significance of this insight: if you can pray purely, in that pre-linguistic aspect of yourself, you might have a more direct connection to the Divine.
Interesting!
NOTE: I didn't fully read this article, but the title was enough to intrigue me and inspire me to share my thoughts.
I am so pleased that you have been inspired. Now I hope the inspiration will motivate you to go deeper with God. If you do that then my job is done. Thanks Robert
Another great topic. Silence is the only language that can encompass Our Infinite Lord. Beyond the boundaries of symbols. Which words are.
Humans are designed by God, as quantified in many scientific studies (approximate %s depending on studies, but the trend is always the same); to communicate 67% by Body Language, 28% by Intonation, and less than the rest by actual Words.
The three types of Christian Prayer are designed to help us reverse engineer from Waking (words), through Mental and REM state (Intonation) through Superconscious Deep Sleep (moving our Body into God’s Body Language). And hand off from there to God/Holy Spirit in Silence.
Prayer as Verbal>Meditative>Adoration in Silence. Hands still on the wheel awareness while God is our Cruise Control. Not a mental void. Divine Silence is not the absence of awareness. Just as zero gravity is not the absence of gravity.
Notice how the closer we move our “Joy-Stick” towards God, the Lighter our Crosses become to bear.
Hi Alamo, I must admit, I wasn't sure if I should post this post. Some disagree with tongues, and I have NEVER heard of any sermon on the Holy Spirit groaning. Oh well, I've posted it, and I will let others decide about me. Thanks, Robert
I am glad you overcame any reluctance to post this. While praying in tongues (prior post) is not something I recall having experienced, groaning prayer is a daily thing. Why anyone would be opposed to the idea I could only guess. We have arrived at a point in history where the broad view of what has taken place and is taking place now is visible to open eyes, when viewed in light of scripture. Given that insight, at times groans are the most I can manage.
While this kind of prayer is for a private setting, I work with someone as a mentor, privately (though in a meeting room at our church), and that person often responds to me only with sighs and groans. There, we have read and discussed this passage, and we can share groans.
There is much commentary in this article, which had me going back to my two Greek-level commentaries on Romans, reviewing the full context and examining the subtleties of the text. The conclusions there are much the same as here. I can affirm “according to God He intercedes” (κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει) for v.27, or "...because according to God He intercedes for the saints [holy ones]". ("He" is present in the verb, which indicates 3rd person singular in its personal ending, without gender, and "He" is appropriate in translation there as referring to the Spirit.)
As familiar as groaning prayer is to me, that was a lot to take in! Thank you.
When I saw the title of this post, I was struck with novelty. The notion of praying without words caused me to pause.
For years, I've known that while words can be powerful, they're also somewhat limited in that they're an attempt to put something formless into form. It's much like that Taoist saying that goes something like this: "The Tao that can be spoken is not the Tao."
I didn't have to ponder long to appreciate the significance of this insight: if you can pray purely, in that pre-linguistic aspect of yourself, you might have a more direct connection to the Divine.
Interesting!
NOTE: I didn't fully read this article, but the title was enough to intrigue me and inspire me to share my thoughts.
I am so pleased that you have been inspired. Now I hope the inspiration will motivate you to go deeper with God. If you do that then my job is done. Thanks Robert
Another great topic. Silence is the only language that can encompass Our Infinite Lord. Beyond the boundaries of symbols. Which words are.
Humans are designed by God, as quantified in many scientific studies (approximate %s depending on studies, but the trend is always the same); to communicate 67% by Body Language, 28% by Intonation, and less than the rest by actual Words.
The three types of Christian Prayer are designed to help us reverse engineer from Waking (words), through Mental and REM state (Intonation) through Superconscious Deep Sleep (moving our Body into God’s Body Language). And hand off from there to God/Holy Spirit in Silence.
Prayer as Verbal>Meditative>Adoration in Silence. Hands still on the wheel awareness while God is our Cruise Control. Not a mental void. Divine Silence is not the absence of awareness. Just as zero gravity is not the absence of gravity.
Notice how the closer we move our “Joy-Stick” towards God, the Lighter our Crosses become to bear.
God Bless, Happy Advent, Pray it Forward, 🙏🙏🙏
Hi Alamo, I must admit, I wasn't sure if I should post this post. Some disagree with tongues, and I have NEVER heard of any sermon on the Holy Spirit groaning. Oh well, I've posted it, and I will let others decide about me. Thanks, Robert
I am glad you overcame any reluctance to post this. While praying in tongues (prior post) is not something I recall having experienced, groaning prayer is a daily thing. Why anyone would be opposed to the idea I could only guess. We have arrived at a point in history where the broad view of what has taken place and is taking place now is visible to open eyes, when viewed in light of scripture. Given that insight, at times groans are the most I can manage.
While this kind of prayer is for a private setting, I work with someone as a mentor, privately (though in a meeting room at our church), and that person often responds to me only with sighs and groans. There, we have read and discussed this passage, and we can share groans.
There is much commentary in this article, which had me going back to my two Greek-level commentaries on Romans, reviewing the full context and examining the subtleties of the text. The conclusions there are much the same as here. I can affirm “according to God He intercedes” (κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει) for v.27, or "...because according to God He intercedes for the saints [holy ones]". ("He" is present in the verb, which indicates 3rd person singular in its personal ending, without gender, and "He" is appropriate in translation there as referring to the Spirit.)
As familiar as groaning prayer is to me, that was a lot to take in! Thank you.
You don't know how pleased I am with your comment.
👍👍👍
God has a great sense of humor, if we slow down enough to “listen”. 🧐 🙏✝️🙏