Tongue-Tied in Prayer

<p>When my baby brother underwent surgery, I was concerned. My mother explained that &ldquo;tongue-tie&rdquo; (ankyloglossia) was a condition he was born with and that without help, his ability to eat and eventually to speak would be hindered. Today we often apply the term to describe being at a loss for words or being too shy to speak.</p> <p>Sometimes we can be tongue-tied in prayer, not knowing what to say. Our tongues tie up in spiritual clich&eacute;s and repetitive phrases. We arrow our emotions heavenward, wondering if they will reach God&rsquo;s ears. Our thoughts zigzag along an unfocused path.</p> <p>Writing to first-century Roman Christians, the apostle Paul addresses what to do when we struggle to know how to pray, inviting us to find help from the Holy Spirit. &ldquo;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&rdquo; (Romans 8:26). The concept of &ldquo;help&rdquo; here is to carry a heavy load. And &ldquo;wordless groans&rdquo; indicates an interceding presence as the Spirit carries our needs to God.</p> <p>When we&rsquo;re tongue-tied in prayer, God&rsquo;s Spirit helps shape our confusion, pain, and distraction into the perfect prayer that moves from our hearts to our good God&rsquo;s ears. He listens and answers, bringing the exact kind of comfort we may not have known we needed until we asked Him to pray for us.</p>