Groanings
“The Spirit of God is present to help, for He is our foremost helper. He calls us to prayer. The trouble, however, is “we do not know what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26). We are weakened as a result of sin. We do not grasp the goals of prayer, so we fail to approach it properly. However, the Spirit “makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (vs. 26). God the Father searches our hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit with whom He is One. Despite our limitations, the Spirit “makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (vs. 27), unhampered by the spiritual static generated by our fallen state.” (Dynamis 6/14/2018)
“The Christian prays while he walks, while he talks, while he rests, while he works or reads: and, when he meditates alone in the secret retreat of his own soul, and calls upon the Father with groans that are no less real because they are unspoken, the Father never fails to answer and draw near to him.” (St. Clement of Alexandria)
“I must pour out my heart in the language which his Spirit gives me; and more than that, I must trust in the Spirit to speak the unutterable groanings of my spirit, when my lips cannot actually express all the emotions of my heart.” (Charles Spurgeon)
“A right heart before God in prayer is even more important than right words, for God hears our “groanings which cannot be uttered." (Orthodox Study Bible, Isaiah 29:13)
“There are real crosses in life. Let us make sure we pick up the real not fictitious ones. We can then apply our psychological strengths and spiritual efforts on the crosses which are real. Our inclination will always be (for fictitious or real crosses) "let this cup pass from me." Our weak human nature wants us to complain, groan moan, show anger, despair or depression. How many of us go the step further and say: "But Father not my will but thine be done. It will be difficult but I am ready to accept what you are going to give me. Give me the strength to do this and to accept your will." (V. Rev. Fr. George Morelli, Ph.D.)