The Power and Purpose of Prayer: "More Than Words"
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
—Romans 8:26
My dad once worked as an outfitter in the beautiful but treacherous Wind Rivers of Wyoming. “The Winds,” as it was often called, was a place where snow might fall in July and huge boulder fields and glaciers were abundant. And so were grizzly bears. To navigate this place required experience, toughness, and an almost mystical understanding of the rhythms of the mountain and surrounding wilderness.
Outfitters were responsible for the “pre-trip” to set up spike camps, the main camp, and to haul provisions up to these camps before the hunters arrived. This was my dad’s job, along with his friend Eric. Dad enjoyed working with Eric. I remember him describing their partnership as “wordless,” because they were so in sync with each other that they hardly had to speak.
Have you ever known someone well enough that you didn’t have to talk about what to do next? The two of you simply worked in tandem until the task was done? That type of connection is what the Scripture describes in Romans 8. Mutual trust, shared intention, complementing each other’s thought process. Even the grunts and groans are understood.
This deep intimacy is what God desires with us. He knows that life can be beautiful, but also treacherous. He knows that we will experience deep pain, and through it all He desires a relationship so deep that our connection to Him and His presence can still be so very clear—even if inaudible.
Dad did not have a wordless connection with the customers; their connection was based on transaction with no real knowledge of one another. In fact, it was this shallow connection that eventually burned Dad out and caused him to leave the outfitting business. Likewise, God doesn’t desire a transactional relationship with us, where we just ask Him for what we need and then go about our lives. The intimacy that He desires can only come through time spent in prayer, studying His word, and going through life’s wilderness with Him.