“In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself interceeds for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26
One Sunday morning during worship with the 3rd-6th graders, we were singing the song “Hosanna” and I asked the children if they knew what that word meant. After a flurry of answers, all wrong, I finally told them that it means, “Save now.”
Later that same day, one of the boys was gold panning with his dad in one of the local rivers. Somehow the boy slipped into the water and got caught in the current. Almost immediately he began to cry out, “Susanna! Susanna!” His dad (not named Susanna) jumped in and made his way towards his son, who was still calling out, “Susanna!” The boy and his dad eventually made their way safely to shore and back to the car to head home. On the way home the dad finally asked his son why he was calling out “Susanna” when he was heading down the river? “Because dad, today we learned in Sunday School that Susanna means, ‘Save now’!”
I have no problem believing that God, smiling as he did so, answered the prayer of this young boy as he called out for help. Even though he did not use proper terminology, he did know who to ask, and we would be wise to follow his example. Ask, even though you may not be able to word it properly. I take great comfort in Romans 8:26-27 which reminds us of what we already know, that “We do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express… and in accordance with God’s will.”
May I encourage you to reawaken a simple childlike faith that would free you to fling up heartfelt prayers at a moment’s notice without getting too caught up in all the proper wording.
Pastor Doug
