When it comes to prayer, many of us feel out of our depth to say the least. Often we don’t know what say – not the words to use, nor what thoughts or feelings to express.
If we’re honest I wonder if some of us, feeling unsure about how prayer works or frustrated by the lack of results, have even at times given up on prayer. Listen to what The Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:
“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.”
(Romans 8:26-27)
And a few verses later, he adds:
“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
(Romans 8:34)
Isn’t that an incredible thought? The Bible validates and even sympathizes with our feelings about not knowing how to pray. But, amazingly, also says that the Holy Spirit, who both knows us better than we know ourselves AND fully knows the heart and will of God is actually praying for us. What a thought! This verse says that Jesus Himself is actually praying for us at all times, interceding on our behalf with perfect understanding.
Think of it: God is praying for YOU right now.
More in tune with your needs than even you are.
More in sync with His will than we could ever be.
Can you imagine what those prayers might sound like? Does it make you curious to imagine what kind of things The Spirit might be praying for you in your life right now?
While we can’t know with any certainty what the answer to that question is, we can certainly get a sense, from the prayers Jesus prayed for us that are contained in the gospels. Jesus tends to pray:
- That our needs would be met
- That we would resist temptation
- That we would be protected from evil
- That we would know the truth and be changed by it
- That God would be made bright in our lives
- That we would know his forgiveness
- That we would find the ability to forgive each other
- That we would experience unity with each other
- That we would know joy, deep in our souls
Clearly, that’s not an exhaustive list, but it gives us a bit of a sense of the kinds of things Jesus prioritizes when prays.
What I’m going to invite you to do right now, is simply sit in that space, aware that you are right now being prayed for in the heavenlies. The goal is just to draw strength and feel supported by Christ, knowing that He’s at work, praying, even if we don’t see it, feel it, or even know what He’s saying.
We can trust that the prayers Jesus is praying for us are for our good. In fact, that’s the very next sentence in Romans 8:
“…that in all things God works for the good of those who love him”
(Romans 8:28)
So for the next couple of minutes or so, try to just sit in silence and believe and trust that Jesus is praying for you, for your good and for God’s purposes, right now. You don’t need to do the praying, or anything at all except receive it. He’s got it covered, better than you ever could.
If you do find your mind wandering, if you find it hard to just enjoy the fact that you are being prayed for, just keep pulling your attention back to the moment by giving your agreement with whatever Jesus is praying, by saying the simple phrase “Amen”, which literally means “So be it” or “Let Your will be done.”
So take a few moments now to sit quietly and bask in the idea that God is praying for you, this very moment.
Once you are finished, feel free to follow the experience up with a YouTube video of a worship song – Way Maker is a great option, especially with its bridge “Even when I don’t see it, You’re working; Even when I don’t feel it, You’re worki
