Be silent before the Sovereign Lord (Zephaniah 1:7; NIV).
[The] Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (Romans 8:26; NRSV).
…………………………………………………………….
Lord God,
In silent prayer,
I sometimes feel
As if my mind
Will burst
With wordless joy,
Or that my heart
Will break
With wordless grief.
Then my soul
Melts away
In wordless bliss,
To unify
With yours,
In wordless love.
how do you understand that word, ‘sigh’?
Some people translate it as “groans”. I understand it as all the inarticulate sounds that come with uncontrollable weeping or inexpressible ecstasy – far beyond the limitations of our human words. Does that make any sense to you? All best wishes from Ruth X.
I don’t know whether I have explained but I am interested in groups such as the Collegiants and the Valley who often wept and sighed during silence.
That’s interesting, though I haven’t heard of either of those groups before. As long as silence is being kept, and the sighs, groans, tears, and sometimes laughter, are not being forced, there is space for the Holy Spirit to work within us.