"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. (Romans 8:26 NLT)
One of the greatest promises of the Bible is contained in this verse. Paul is describing the work of the Spirit reminding us that God has sent His Spirit to help us in time of need and weakness. As an example, Paul talks about this matter of prayer. He reminds us that even when we don't know what to pray or how to pray, that the Spirit prays on our behalf, speaking the deep longings of our hearts that we cannot even express with words.
Ever been to the point of not knowing what to pray or even how to begin to pray about a certain need? Most of us have experienced such a moment during some portion of our spiritual journey. Sometimes needs are so complex, problems so great, and solutions so vague, that it is beyond our wisdom to even know how to lift our petition before God. Sometimes, we don't even know where to start. It's odd... so often we work through the solution that we desire from God before we even begin to pray. Our prayers sound something like this, "God I need for you to do this or that and solve this problem, working in just this way..." We don't really need God to solve the mystery surrounding our needs. We just need Him to do we what tell Him to do. Maybe there is a better way. Maybe the soul-searching, no-idea-what-to-do kind of prayer is more honest, more humble, and more effective. Not knowing what to pray is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it forces us to be totally God-dependent. It takes our wisdom, our thoughts, and our opinions totally out of the mix. Such praying says to God, "I have no idea what to do. I just need You to take control and demonstrate Your miraculous power." Let me give you an example... Not long ago I was praying for a friend who has made a total mess of his life. He has ruined his marriage, his career, and his reputation. Though I have prayed for him on many occasions, I find myself at a loss currently, to know what else to pray or how to even go about it. What I find myself doing is simply praying a prayer in which I place my total trust in God by saying, "Thy will be done." The truth is, I don't have the answer to my friend's needs. But God does. So I have chosen to get out of the way and let God work. The Spirit groans the inexpressible words of my heart and I am comforted, knowing that a better prayer than I can pray has been offered. So take a little comfort today... the Spirit works mightily when your simple life falters.
Thanks for titling your post "When we don't know what to pray..." instead of "When we don't know what to pray for." Praying "about" things rather that praying "for" things helps to keep me out of the way. I agree with you that when I pray for a specific outcome, I have already determined what needs to happen. My pre-determined expectation is most always based on how I think things "should" be and that closes my eyes to letting God show me how things "could" be.
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