When We Don't Know What to Pray
God’s
Spirit is right alongside helping us along.
If
we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter.
He
does our praying in and for us,
making
prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.
Romans
8:26 (MSG)
For many non-verbal individuals, communication devices,
also called Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, enable
them to interact with others and express themselves. One such device is VocaliD
which creates a custom voice by recording whatever sound a child is able to
make, whether it’s a word, a syllable or simply a sustained “ah.” After
scouring for a voice ‘donor’ – someone approximately the same age and gender as
the ‘recipient,’ – a computer program “blends the
recipient’s voice recording with the donor’s voice. “We create a voice that’s
as understandable as the donor, but has the unique vocal characteristics, or
identity, of the recipient,” Patel says. Having a unique voice could help
nonverbal people with autism “break through” social and communication barriers,
says Pat Mirenda, professor of educational and counseling psychology at the
University of British Columbia, who is not involved in the project. “I think it
has huge potential for how people perceive and respond to that individual, and
for how that individual sees him or herself.” (1)
Trouble expressing our heart’s deepest longings isn’t
limited to non-verbal individuals. How often do I find myself struggling for
words when I go before my Heavenly Father in prayer. Because I live in a fallen
world, my sin renders me unable to effectively articulate my greatest yearnings
and inner struggles. Sometimes I don’t even truly know what my soul needs most.
I need a ‘donor,’ someone who is not afflicted by sin, who can form petitions
from my wordless sighs and groanings. God doesn’t care so much about my eloquence
as much as the content of my heart. His Spirit ‘breaks through’ all barriers and carries my cares to the very throne of God where I find mercy and healing. This
is the wonder of grace.
So pray at all times. If necessary, use words.
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