Too Complicated To Pray

The most complicated things in life have to do with the attitudes of people.  We call on others who have expertise in a certain field to accomplish for us what we cannot.  They accept our money and do a good job but complain the whole time about having to be there.  What makes matters worse is when nobody is there to witness such disrespect except us.  Others highly recommend this person or group and we are left wondering how such an attitude can be recommended to anybody.  We wonder if it was really worth the money for such an attitude.  Do we confront them or their boss?  Do we continue to smile in their face with a kind word of thanks?

It seems no response is the right one back to such attitudes.  Confronting their attitude may cool the situation but will they return if we need their assistance again.  If we smile at them and continue to be kind does that not tell them it’s ok to treat us any sort of way they please.  Sometimes it leaves us in a situation where we don’t even know how to pray or what to ask of God.  What would Jesus do?

What if we don’t know what Jesus would do?  Would He rebuke such a person and their attitudes with a confrontation or would He lovingly overlook it?  Sometimes things are too complicated to know how to respond.  We rehash the rudeness and disrespect thinking of different ways to address it but no matter how much thought we put into it the answer is just not there.  We don’t even know what to pray or the right attitude to approach God.  It’s too complicated to explain especially when we know we will be dealing with this same person or group within the same week of a few months later.  Lord, God, what do we do?

There is one answer that sometimes gets overlooked and that is the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with words we cannot explain.  Our heart is broken but His is broken more.  Our words won’t come but His words exceed any earthly words.  We feel we cannot face such a situation again but He can.  Jesus, Who loves us, goes before us, during us and after us.  He has a way of making things work out even when we are the most intimidated.  

When our words don’t happen in prayer His words take over.  Imagine this, the less words we have, the more He has.  His prayers on our behalf are greater than our most deepest prayers.  It’s ok to ask Him to pray for us.

Romans 8:26-27 New International Version (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 through wordless groans. And He Who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.