I’ve been known to break into spontaneous prayer although I admit it’s been awhile since I shared it with anyone. These days, it happens when I’m in the woods riding our John Deere Gator or walking in between the bean and corn field – alone.
One day when I was spending time with our niece who was 3 or 4 at the time. (She’s twenty–something now) We’d often snuggle together and I’d thank God for her or ask Him to provide for our needs.
This time I asked her, “Do you want to say the words?”
She looked up at me in wonder and said, “No. I don’t know the words to the song.”
We bowed our heads and I said the words for us. She moved in closer and I wrapped my arm around her while trying to wrap my heart around what she’d said.
When I asked her recently if she remembers this she said no, but she remembered us praying together and said when I prayed it didn’t sound like regular talking – it was more like singing.
I’m not bragging here. If it sounded like I was making music, it was because of God. He inspires that in me, brings it out of me, and receives it from me. I believe it is all from Him.
Praying out loud is a tricky thing. Sometimes how we sound matters to us. We don’t want others to hear us stumble, crumble, or mumble. We prefer to confess to no one and keep our messes undercover. We polish our praise and plan our petitions.
My prayer life is a whole lot of rhythm these days (think Johnny Cash’s guitar playing) and a little bit of blues. Sometimes there’s a gritty edge to the music in my soul and at other times a lovely melody. Sometimes I’m a little bit country and other days a little bit rock & roll (thank you Donny & Marie!).
No matter what life looks like on the outside, there’s a whole lot of praying going on inside. Sometimes the words come with tears and other times great delight. Every now and then I don’t have any words – just feelings. It’s times like those I depend on God’s Spirit to say what I can’t pray — He knows the words to all my songs.
Romans 8:26–27 (NIV)
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.