I Want To Help You
Hypothetical Story – sort of
A man is walking from the Midwestern part of the U.S. to the west coast. He starts his journey of about 2,000 miles. By the end of the entire first day of walking he has not covered much ground. Very fortunately, a man in a fast car pulls along side him.
He asks, Friend, where are you heading?
The walker replies that he has to go to San Francisco.
Well, how about that? I'm going there, too. Hop in.
The man is horrified. He declares, “I shall never do such a thing!”
The man in the car is mystified. Before he drives off, he calmly says, Then...don't.
The man who was walking remains at the side of the road. He should reach his destination by early October...of next year.
A True Story
A man is facing a dilemma. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't even know what to pray for. The situation seems hopeless.
The Spirit of God draws near. He quietly says something that is not recognizable. Since this is not at all recognizable, it is quickly dismissed as nothing. The mind does not even acknowledge it as a communication at all. His mind is racing, repeating and rehearsing the problem on an endless loop (in English or his known language). The Holy Spirit was sent to be a friend or a companion through life, though He is much more than that.
So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. (Rom 8:26 AMPC)
When the troubles come upon us that are overwhelming, we may scream and cry because there are no words (that we know of). There is no way to articulate our feelings and there is no way to even know what we should ask for. God has not left us alone on this earth. He has sent help. It is not in the form of a system or a mechanical tool. It is in the form of a friend, the Holy Spirit. Though He is God, He has come to help us and comfort us. When the Spirit/spirit within us prays, it is many times in the form of a language that is unknown to the speaker. Unknown tongues. This is not a unique gift for only a special few. It is your Helper come to comfort you. To refuse His help is insane.
(There is such a thing as the spiritual gift of tongues to be used publicly in the church but that is another thing entirely. It is the same thing in essence and source but for a different purpose.)
If the distressed man in our story above could perceive the thought of God, he might hear
My Son, do not despair. I am here to help you, for it is not too late. You do not need to face this alone.
That is the point. The secret is to bypass the natural. The natural mind has its place but solving the impossible is not the right place. Your real help comes from somewhere outside of your self life. A 3 year old says, “I can do it myself!” You cannot do life alone.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (1Cor 14:15)
Four times Paul says “I will!” Most people today say, “I will not pray with the spirit!” If you do not want to pray in tongues, then...
Don't.
And that is the final word. What if the man in the hitchhiker story was thrown into the car and forcibly driven to California? The driver of the car would be guilty of kidnapping and taking a hostage across state lines. Instead, he just drives off shaking his head. What does the Holy Spirit do? I think He is greatly saddened.
He abides with you forever (John 14:16) and He glorifies Jesus (John 16:14) at every chance, so...He does that but He has to allow you to help yourself.
Someone says, “But do I have to speak in tongues?”
If you have told a lie you are hereby sentenced to 5 years of praying in tongues. That is your punishment.
Since when is falling into the arms of our Friend a punishment? He wants to help us and comfort us. He will not force you into intimacy with Him. Like the talk show host often says, “We have a minute left. I'll give you the last word”. That is you, brother or sister. Will you say “I will” or “I will not”?
May 10, 2025