Taking the training wheels off our prayers

Today, we read from the New International Version of the Bible in Romans‬ ‭Chapter 8 and verses 26 and 27.... “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 through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”‬

We are not unlike the disciples who came to Jesus and said, “Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). In response to this request, Jesus shared the model prayer that has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” which many of us learned and memorized as children and can repeat by rote memory. However, most of us who have lived a little longer, and have kept on praying while valuing this familiar prayer, have come to realize that anyone of us can slip into what I term “habitual praying.” I never want to criticize anyone with a sincere heart who prays “patterned prayers” that are beneficial and uniquely focus attention on God. That being said, even as we had to take the “training wheels” off our bicycles as children, we must take the “training wheels” off our prayers, if we are going soar into the Heavenly’s with Christ as He longs for us to do.

Prayer is actually communion with God Himself. Prayer was never intended to be habitual, structured and confining. Prayer is a means to actively open our spirits and share in the mind of Chris. The insights of the Apostle Paul, as always, are so helpful as he articulates understandings that take us into places where we might never venture without the promptings of his writings in canonized scripture.

Let’s break down Paul’s words for just for a moment.... “The Spirit helps us in our weakness.” God is not fooled concerning our frailty and fragility. He knows our weakness - your weakness and my weakness. Although we all vacillate between days when we feel vigorous and strong, and other days when we feel engulfed by the recognition of our weakness, God says, “I, by My Spirit,” am not going to leave you alone in your broken condition, but I am going to “help you in your weakness.” Just what does God offer us as His “help” for our inability to “know how to pray?” He offers us this completely unreasonable solution.... “The Spirit, Himself, intercedes for us through wordless groans” (New International Version).

I consider myself to be a “reasonable man,” perhaps even a “rational man,” but going to the next levels in prayer requires a genuine surrender of these reasoned responses, in order to submit to this seemingly, unreasonable solution, when we seek answers to what seems to be a reasonable desire, “to know how to pray.”

If we are actually to become effective people of prayer, we are going to have to go beyond the “rote” and “reasoned” realms of prayer. We will need to follow God into the mysterious and vulnerable arena of “intercessory praying in the Spirit.” This kind of prayer moves us beyond the cognitive, reasoned, and dutiful offerings of prayer that we’ve spent much of our lifetimes learning to pray, the prayers that we consider “eloquent” or “compelling.” This kind of “praying in the Spirit” doesn’t have to be anything specific in its expression. “Praying in the Spirit” doesn’t need to be loud in volume, although in my experience, there are times when prayers are louder. “Praying in the Spirit” doesn’t need to be quiet, although sometimes it can be “wordless groans” as Romans Chapter 8 describes.

What I feel free to express about the practice of “praying in the Spirit” is that it is moving into the presence of God in such a way as not to be encumbered conscientiously with anyone or anything, other than moving into God’s presence and power alone. Although “praying in the Spirit” may not make sense on a rational level, it is not “mindless,” but it is coming into agreement with the mind of God, Himself. It does involve praying in what could be considered unintelligible expressions, that are more often than not in my personal experience, “wordless groanings” that take us to supernatural places in God’s presence and into His revelation that we cannot access by rational means alone, but that always aligns itself with His Word.

In order to fulfil the divine calling that God is leading us into and to see the breakthroughs in His Kingdom throughout the earth, we will have to move beyond our reasoned, rational, rote praying and launch out by taking the “training wheels off” and soar into what Paul referred to as “praying in the Spirit.” This is the kind of praying that empowered the disciples on the Day of Pentecost and what launched the Church in the Book of Acts.

Soar, fly, sail, and use whatever imagery ignites God’s holy passions within your soul, but move out in prayer into the next realm and enjoy His glory and grace. This is a great adventure and a stunning ride.