Speechless

Our 25-year-old son called my wife and I one night recently to say that our daughter had been in a serious car crash.  He was on his way to the scene and had no more details.  Few things cause more of a chill to go through a parent’s heart than to hear such news.  My wife and I live many hours from our son and daughter and we felt completely helpless, waiting for the next phone call.  One’s imagination begins running wild with lots of horrible possibilities.  Our first instinct was to pray, but pray for what?  The only prayer I could manage was “God, help!”  Thankfully, we soon got word that our daughter was fine.

My two-word prayer reminded me again of the scripture from Romans, which promises that Holy Spirit intercedes and prays to God the Father for us, even when we don’t know what or how to pray.  Perhaps it involves a patient or a patient’s family members.  Perhaps it involves our children or grandchildren.  Perhaps it is involves finances, relationships, misunderstandings, or unhealthy behaviors.  Some situations in which we find ourselves are so tangled, so complex, that we don’t even know what to say or how to pray. 

I am encouraged by knowing that God loves me and cares about every detail.  He knows my heart.  He understands my pain.  He translates the deep cries of my heart into beautiful prayers.  Perhaps the most profound prayer we can pray is “God, help!”