When You Run Out of Words
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
Have you ever tried to move a heavy dresser by yourself? You tip it and push it, and it barely moves an inch. Then someone takes hold of the other end, and together you lift what you could never lift alone.
Paul uses a word in our verse that paints that same picture. The word “helpeth” carries the idea of taking hold of a load with someone. The Holy Spirit does not stand back and watch us struggle in prayer, because He takes hold of the other end.
Prayer can feel like that heavy dresser. Sometimes the trouble is too big, the hurt is too deep, or the way ahead is not clear, and we do not know what to pray. There have been days lately when I did not know what to ask for my own family, and all I had was a sigh.
Hannah prayed like that in the temple. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard (1 Samuel 1:13). God did not need her words to be polished, because He heard the cry of her heart.
The same is true when you pray. You may see only a weak and broken prayer, but God sees the Spirit’s own groaning inside it. You may think you have said nothing at all, but God hears the Spirit praying for you, and He always prays according to the will of God (Romans 8:27).
So when you run out of words, the Spirit does not run out of prayer. Do not stay away from the throne of grace because you cannot find the right words. Come anyway, and let Him take hold of the other end.
Find ten quiet minutes this afternoon and bring the Lord the one burden you have not been able to put into words. Simply say, "Father," and sit before Him, trusting the Spirit to lift what you cannot carry or say.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." — John 14:1
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Eighteen • May 3, 2026
Trusting God With Tomorrow (Pt. 3)
In this final part of the message, “Trusting God with Tomorrow,” we are brought face to face with a powerful truth from Scripture—while we often plan our days and assume the future, the Bible teaches us that life is fragile, uncertain, and completely in God’s hands. As James reminds us, our life is “even a vapour” that appears for a little time and then vanishes away . The issue is not planning, but planning without God—living as though we are in control of what only God knows.
This message walks through the heart of biblical trust: having a proper perspective of tomorrow, a humble posture before God today, and a surrendered plan that says, “If the Lord will.” Whether facing uncertainty, fear, or the illusion of control, we are called to draw near to God, rest in His care, and trust that His will is good, even when tomorrow is unknown. Because Christ has risen, our future is secure—not in our plans, but in His perfect hands.
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