Groaning in prayer.

There’s a passage my fellow Pentecostals like to quote whenever we’re trying to show biblical support for prayer in tongues. We honestly don’t need to quote this one, because there are plenty of other, better verses to support and encourage the practice. But Pentecostals love to quote this one anyway. It’s in Romans 8, and I’ll quote it in its context… and just for fun I’ll use the Modern English Version, a bible which just happens to be translated by Pentecostal linguists. Ahem:

Romans 8.18-27 MEV

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us. 19The eager expectation of the creation waits for the appearance of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. 23Not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourselves while eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For we are saved through hope, but hope that is seen is not hope, for why does a man still hope for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

The point I’m gonna zoom in on, is the bit in verse 26 where the Holy Spirit intercedes for us “with groanings too deep for words.” That right there, claim a large number of Pentecostals, is an example of praying in tongues. When we Christians pray aloud, and in our prayer we’re speaking in an unknown language which kinda sounds like moaning and groaning, that’s precisely what this verse is about.

But you read the context: It’s obviously not. Paul was writing about suffering. People suffer. Life is suffering. All of creation itself suffers, because humanity’s sinful condition has corrupted it. And we who suffer, and creation which suffers, are looking forward to Jesus making all things new.

Meanwhile we suffer. And groan. And the Holy Spirit groans too. Sometimes we’re so miserable we don’t have words to describe it, not even to God. But that’s okay. The Holy Spirit is not unfamiliar with the “language,” so to speak, of groaning. But this does not mean groaning is a literal language. Including a literal prayer language.

This means when we’re miserable—we’re sad, we’re depressed, we’re in agony, we’re terrified, we’re anxious, we’re upset, we’re feeling any which way, and we wanna call out to God but words have failed us: It’s okay. The Holy Spirit understands. Go ahead and pray in groans.

And the Holy Spirit will intercede: He’ll pray to the Father right along with us. In groans too, when appropriate. The Father likewise understands.

Inarticulate prayer is still prayer.

If you’ve been reading TXAB’s prayer articles, you know I’ve read a ton on prayer, and way too many books on the subject tell us if we want success in prayer, we gotta spell out to God precisely what it is we want. I don’t know where these numbnuts get this idea, ’cause it’s certainly not found in the bible.

I suspect it’s from paganism, where incantations are super important. If you’re gonna speak your wishes into the universe, the universe isn’t all that bright, and might not give you what you want unless you’re very specific about what that is. If you aren’t explicit and detailed, the universe might misunderstand and grant you something inferior, or something you don’t even want at all, but matches your wish in an ironic way, like the Monkey’s Paw would. You gotta treat the universe like you’re trying to get ChatGPT to draw you a picture. “Okay, lets try that again: ‘A five-fingered man prays on a park bench.’ …Oh come on, why is he now naked?”

You should already know by now God is not the universe, and God is the furthest opposite of dumb. So you don’t express your prayer requests precisely right; big deal. God already knows what you need before you even asked, Mt 6.8 and if all you can sputter forth is, “God, help,” he’s got the entire message.

Therefore a groan is a legitimate prayer. If that’s all you can pray, that’s a prayer. The idea we have to generate fluent prayers before we can get God’s response, is really harsh and unforgiving to people who have suffered catastrophic injuries, and physically can’t pray like that, even in their minds. Insisting upon this idea gives no hope to people with loved ones in comas or catatonia or the throes of dementia. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t abandon such people, nor those who love them and are praying for them. If you can reach out to God in the simplest of ways, he knows how you’re feeling. He knows what you mean, even if you aren’t entirely sure what you mean. He’s wise enough to figure all that out.

Yeah, we can safely ignore all the folks who demand we get specific and wordy. Stick to what Jesus and his apostles teach. Groan if you gotta.