Paul himself admitted to this deficiency (Romans 8:26). This is a sobering truth we must grapple with if we are going to mature in our understanding of prayer.

I was encouraged to meditate and study this passage after listening to Andrew Murray’s seventh chapter of his book The Spiritual Life. In this chapter Murray emphasizes the fact that it takes humility to recognize that while we pray for many things, we don’t know how to pray what we need most.

This deficiency in the area of prayer is more than human incompetence on our part. How so? The word we translate “weakness” carries also the idea of sickness or illness. Jesus used this word in John 11:4 when speaking of the sickness that had momentarily taken the life of his friend Lazarus. There is a deep condition that renders us sick and weak when it comes to knowing what to pray as we must.

Do you approach prayer convinced that what you are praying is always what you should pray for? Or how you should pray for that? Furthermore, do you approach prayer convinced that you are praying the good you ought to pray for your life or the life of others?

Oh that Romans 8:26 will be the Word that infuses repentance and humility in our souls!

It is this kind of humility that will open our hearts to the real help the Holy Spirit wants to offer to us when we pray.

— Diego Cuartas