Prayer is a unique spiritual discipline. It is an intimate practice of talking to God that requires something of my heart to even begin. If my heart is hard and my thoughts are dark, I struggle to talk to God. If my schedule is full and my mind is distracted, I struggle to talk to God.
In these moments, I’ve learned to sit quietly before the Lord. I read Scripture, meditate on its truth, sort through the truths and lies that circle my mind, and trust that the Holy Spirit is interceding on my behalf.
“Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
If you have trusted Jesus for salvation, you have the Holy Spirit living and active within you. He knows you, loves you, and can [and He does!] pray for the will of God on your behalf. That gives me so much comfort and security in moments of weakness.
Must those moments be so often? Well, they are. I’m living with constant reminders that I am not God. I am not in control. I am not all-powerful or all-knowing or everywhere present. My strength is not perfect. My energy is not everlasting. I have limitations. Great ones.
If my nature is to trust in myself, my limitations force me to turn to the trustworthy One. This is a gift. In my weakness, God’s strength is displayed. Even when I can’t muster the words to pray, He is praying them for me.
The Holy Spirit is our primary source of help, but He is not the only source. God also gave us this family to live within as a help—the Church. Brothers and sisters in Christ are intended to live unified and to be a source of hope and help amid the world’s brokenness.
I’ve told this story many times, so maybe you’ve heard it, but I’m sharing it again. When my oldest son was eight months old, we had to spend the night in ICU with an extremely high heart rate. The pediatric cardiologist walked into the room and told us, “I don’t know what to do, but I know he won’t survive like this. You need to go somewhere else.”
My husband began to pray, and I had no words. He prayed for all the specifics we wanted and needed for our baby, and then he asked God to help us trust Him regardless of the outcome. This prayer infiltrated my mind and has stuck with me even ten years later.
I did not trust God in this moment. I knew there were possibilities of outcomes that were not ok with me. I wanted to protect my baby. I wanted my baby healed. I wanted him safe and healthy. And I had no power to do any of it. So, Josh’s prayer became my prayer in every moment of that journey.
Lord, give us a path forward and help me trust you.
Lord, allow the doctors to know how to help him and help me trust you.
Let him live, Lord, and help me trust you.
In the dark moment, Josh gave me words that I needed to help me remember the truth—God is trustworthy even when circumstances are not good—and to pray back to the Lord. You are trustworthy regardless of outcomes, but I need help trusting you.
I experienced this kind of help again a couple of days ago. After sharing something heavy on my heart with a trusted friend, she sent me a list of her prayer points. I immediately wrote them down. While sorting through thoughts and emotions and trying to find the truth to cling to, she texted it to me.
I immediately stopped and believed the truth in that little list and prayed those things to the Lord. I’ve gone back to it continually. It’s been a source of resetting my mind, believing the truth, and trusting the Lord. It’s been the words I needed to communicate with Him when I struggled to find them.
I know you are walking hard things, too. I know that sometimes, even prayer feels like more than you can handle in those moments. But you were never meant to do it alone. You have been given helpers.
First, Jesus, who accomplished what you could have never done for yourself. Jesus paid the debt for your sin through His death on the cross so that you could stand before God clothed in His righteousness. This requires nothing on your part – just confession (of your sin) and belief (in Jesus as the only way to God).
Second, the Holy Spirit. Upon salvation, you receive the presence, power, and guidance of the Holy Spirit living within you. You don’t have to wait to enjoy God’s presence in heaven; you can experience it right now. The Holy Spirit intercedes for you, praying for God’s will in your life.
Thirdly, you are given brothers and sisters in Christ who can build you up, encourage you, and equip you to walk precisely what God has laid before you. First, we were talking about God. Secondly, we were talking about God; now, we are talking about other broken people like us who God rescued. If it’s hard to trust God – the One who is perfect – how much harder is it to trust imperfect people?! I get it. But God intends you to live within a community with these people and receive their help.
Trust the Holy Spirit to intercede for you in times of need. Allow yourself to sit quietly before the Lord, hear from Him through His Word, and trust His truth.
Lean into those trusted relationships with the believers in your life. Allow them to speak the truth and cling to it when they do. Pray the prayers they are praying for you.
Tell your people the truth you believe and the specifics you are praying for. Better yet, pray those things with them. Give them the words.
Brittany K. Miller 