#expectation #waterwalkinggirls
There are times in life when I just don’t know what to pray. Sometimes it is when I have prayed long and hard about a situation and it seems nothing has changed. Sometimes I am at a loss when a friend receives life-altering news about the health of a family member. Sometimes I search for the right words to pray when I am at the feet of Jesus on behalf of my children. What do I pray when I don’t know what to expect?

Over the years as I have participated in Bible studies and Sunday school classes, I have learned that God doesn’t expect our prayers to be filled with fancy words or show. Our Creator simply wants to share in our daily walk. He wants us to converse with Him and call on Him for guidance and direction. And our savior knows what we need even when we do not. One of my favorite scriptures is Romans 8:25-27:
“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, 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.”
Did you catch that? “But the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” What a comforting and overwhelming thought. When my expectations have disappointed me or when the unexpected has happened and I am at a loss for words to pray, the Holy Spirit is groaning on my behalf.
What about you? Is there a situation that you have been praying about and waiting patiently for but you feel nothing is happening? Are you in a difficult place this morning? Do you feel at a loss of words to pray? Let’s get on our knees, bow our heads and cry out, “Help me Lord.” That’s all we have to say. The Holy Spirit is groaning on our behalf. God knows our dreams, desires, and expectations. At this moment we may not understand or even see what is coming next. But we do know God is true to His word and his word tells us in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
So today let’s trust the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf. Let’s believe God’s word and expect that God will work for our good even though we don’t know what to say. Perhaps not knowing what to say is what God will use to answer our prayers. As the saying goes, “expect the unexpected.”