Groaning Prayers—When Words Simply Won't Do.
Exodus 2:24�?5  Article Extras
 

 
by Lee Brase  Issue #14 September/October 1999 

God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

Our God does not need words to communicate. Nor does He need words to understand. He speaks through the soundless heavens, which "declare the glory of God" (Ps. 19:1). Without words, creation tells us of "God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature" (Ro. 1:20), which have been seen and understood through time.

I remember once when my wife, my youngest son, and I were leaving Utah and entering Idaho on the interstate. We were driving under a canopy of extremely dark clouds, and ahead of us was a beautiful sunset. The sun's last rays on the horizon, shining underneath the dark clouds, created an unforgettable effect: before us was a bright sunset and behind us a perfect rainbow. We, along with many other drivers, could not resist stopping to enjoy this spectacle. Words could not have declared God's glory any better at that moment than the view He gave us.

So it is with us humans. There are times when words simply cannot describe what is in our hearts. For the Israelites in slavery, their pain and loss as a people were so great that "groaning" was the only response possible. Yet that groaning spoke clearly to God. He knew exactly what they felt, and He called to mind what He had promised them earlier. He looked on their terrible dilemma and was concerned about them. In fact, the very next verse, Ex. 3:1, begins the story of God's answer to those groans: He sent Moses back to Egypt to deliver His people.

God told Moses, "I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving" (Ex. 6:5), and I believe He still listens for the wordless, groaning prayers of those who are in bondage today. The groans may sound only like expressions of anger and frustration to us, but God hears them as pleas for deliverance. As Ps. 102:19�?0 says, "The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death."

God has unusual hearing. He can pick up any sound and immediately interpret its true meaning. In Gen. 4:10, He told Cain, "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground." You and I cannot hear the voice of innocent blood, but our Lord can. He can hear "that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time" (Ro. 8:22). A few verses later, Romans tells us, "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 with groans that words cannot express" (8:26).

God has given human beings the ability to groan. It is the natural voice of deep pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. It expresses what words cannot.

I am certain that many Pray! readers have experienced what it is to groan before God. There are times when the pain in our hearts is beyond words. Words, in fact, might even sound trite or simplistic in these situations. Our mouths and our brains can't form words, but our hearts know the language of tears, of groaning, of travail. And when God hears the agony of a soul expressed in this way, He knows precisely what it means and exactly what to do about it. Just as He responded to the groaning of the Israelite slaves, God hears our groaning prayer and acts out of His love and concern for us.

There are many situations that warrant groaning prayers. It could be an abhorrent sin from which you long to be free. Or a child who has strayed so far from God that there seems to be no hope. Or a longing for which you've prayed so many years that you don't know what to say anymore. Don't be ashamed to let your heart groan. God hears with concern these prayers in the language of pain. And He knows what to do.

 

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About the author:
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Lee Brase is the prayer ministry coordinator for The Navigators. In this ministry, he travels the world , facilitating prayer retreats and mentoring prayer leaders. Lee is also coauthor of Praying from God's Heart: Experiencing the Power of God (NavPress).