Unspoken words are important too

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The Power of Words”

Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Unspoken words are important too”

A friend once referred to me as “the word guy.” She said it as a compliment because words are my business and I use them in preaching, teaching, praying, and writing. I have shared with you before a statement once made by pastor and author Eugene Peterson about himself, but which resonated with me to the point that I wrote it down and claimed it as my own: “I am a pastor and I am a writer. Those are not separate vocations competing for my time and attention, they are both part of a unified calling. I am a pastor and a writer; it is a single coherent identity. My artistic medium is words, written and prayed and preached.”

I love that statement and I think it is true about me, but sometimes words fail me. Especially on Mondays. My work week starts on Tuesday and is filled with word-related tasks such as writing sermons and Bible studies and daily devotionals, as well as leading in prayer, counseling, writing letters and emails, making phone calls, and more – all of which culminates on Sunday with preaching and teaching.

As a result, on Monday (my day off), I often find myself worded-out. I’ve got nothing. Even finding the words to pray can be a challenge. But that’s okay because the Holy Spirit has my back on this. As Paul explained in Romans 8:26-27, the Spirit searches our heart, knows us at the deepest possible level, and then prays for us. For my part, my prayer may be nothing more than a groan. But the Holy Spirit takes the groans, the befuddled and foggy mind, the wordlessness, and makes something meaningful out of it before the throne of God for me.

That being the case, some of my best prayers are the ones I can find no words for. In those cases, the Spirit prays for me (and I have no doubt that He prays for me a lot better than I pray for myself.) Mondays are often my Psalm 46:10 day. “Be still, Jim, and just know that I am God.” So, I sit out on the back deck early in the morning, maybe with a fire in the firepit, and I just sit still and quiet before God letting the Spirit search my heart and pray on my behalf.

Sometimes words aren’t needed. Sometimes silence speaks louder than words. Sometimes less is more. Unspoken words matter too and sometimes what we don’t say is better than what we do say.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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