Maybe I should have titled this, “Groanings which cannot be uttered!” But sometimes they are uttered and whether they are or aren’t, they are always heard by God, always! God continues His dialogue with Moses and reveals a new name to Moses ‘Jehovah’ the ‘Self-Existent One.’ Exodus 6:3. He had revealed Himself as ‘God Almighty’ before but not as “YHVH.” He remembers His covenant and then says in v. 5, “I have heard the ‘groaning’ of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.” My promise, My word on it! Same as Exodus 2:23-3:12.

God heard their groaning; Romans 8, the earth, the people and the Holy Spirit groan and travail! How bad is our bondage or our affliction from sin? Are we groaning in the Spirit in prayer? Listen to Jesus groaning in His spirit in John 11:33-38 at Lazarus’ tomb and then you might get a sense of its deep spiritual depth. In Rom. 8:26-27 the Holy Spirit, “Makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Maybe it will have to get a lot worse before it gets a lot better, you think?

God remembered His covenant, His promise and He never forgets. He waits for us to get to the point where we are desperate enough to groan in prayer and then He answers. “Oh God, teach us the beauty of groaning in prayer.” Notice the “I Wills” that follow in v. 6-8, these are the four “I Wills” attributed to the four cups at the Passover. Some add a fifth “I Will” v. 8 because they are back in the land since, May 14, 1948: One – I will bring you out from under the burdens (of the Egyptians); Two – I will rid you of their bondage: Three – I will redeem you with an out stretched arm; Four – I will take you to Me for a people and be your God; Five – I will bring you into the land I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and give it to you. “I am the LORD, Jehovah!”

WOW! We have and serve a God who hears and answers prayer, Psalm 65:2, “O Thou who hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come.” When we are desperate enough and destitute and  determined and begin to groan in prayer He will take us seriously. Webster defines groaning as, “a deep throated sound expressing grief, pain or disapproval; to be over loaded or over burdened; to call out painfully or urgently.” A deep inarticulate sound conveying pain, despair, pressure or weight that is unbearable anymore. How bad do you desire God, His will, His Spirit, His forgiveness, His presence, His power, His fellowship, or His mercy? Maybe it’s not that bad yet? C. H. Spurgeon said, “Groanings which cannot be uttered are prayers which cannot be refused.” The Psalmist wrote in 38:9, “LORD, all my desire is before You, and my groaning is not hidden from You.” Have you ever come to a place in your life where the pressure or burden was so heavy that you couldn’t even pray and all you could do was groan or moan or sigh to God? That is the point the children of Israel had reached here and in Exodus 2:23-24 and God heard and remembered His covenant and said He would deliver them!

Christ receives our groans and moans in our censors of prayer in heaven though others may mock and ridicule, yet He who made them knows what they mean. In fact the Holy Spirit who makes them for us now knows full well what they mean and how powerful they are at the Father’s throne. Hannah spoke in her heart, her lips moved but her voice was not heard and Eli thought she was drunk. She was drunk, with the Spirit and was groaning in prayer, prayer that could not be uttered but prayer that could not be denied either. When your heart is so full of grief that it can only moan or groan, you have God’s undivided attention! Robert M. M’Cheyne said, “The most spiritual prayer is a, “groan that cannot be uttered,” Rom. 8:26; or a cry of, “Abba, Father.” Gal. 4:6. In Ezek. 9:4 the ‘Ink Horn Man’ was to go throughout Jerusalem and set a mark (tav) an ancient cross on the foreheads to protect the men who, “sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of it.” My friend I think it is time for us to learn how to sigh and cry or moan and groan against the sin and abominations that are being done in the midst of our Jerusalem before it is to late. I don’t know how much time is left for America or wherever you live if any but we do have, ‘NOW!’ We are also commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Psalm 122:6, “Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim!”   “…Between The Lines…”

“Abba, Father, teach us to pray, to groan, to moan for Your very presence and power in our lives and lands; like Hannah, like Job, like David, like Jesus. Holy Spirit, please make groanings for us and for our countries and for Israel for peace that cannot be uttered. In Yeshua’s name. Amen!”

“Portraits of Prayer in Exodus”  – ‘Groaning in Prayer – 6:5’