Our life is full of moments when we simply do not know what to say. When someone suffers a loss, we cannot seem to express our sympathy, or when we are feeling at our lowest, we open our mouth to pray, but nothing comes out because we find we don’t know what to pray for. At a funeral, we come to stand before the family of a loved one, and we cannot find the words to say what that person really meant to us. When we know we should apologize, we turn it over and over in our mouth and rehearse it in our mind, but can’t seem to formulate a sentence that sounds right, so it never gets said at all. Or, we love a person deeply, but because we cannot put our feelings into just the right words, they never hear us say it. Perhaps most difficult of all, we feel that a person is desperately in need of Christ’s salvation, but we can’t muster the courage to articulate all the glorious grace in that moment. From major life events, to seemingly insignificant interactions, we are too often caught up in a loss for words, and prevented from speaking what needs saying most. However, we forget in these moments that we have a Helper who can always give us the perfect words to say in any situation. Our Father knows that we often falter, and are tripped up by our own tongues, so He imparted us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit within us not only teaches us continually, but will remind us of God’s word and wisdom. With the Holy Spirit working within us, we can courageously take on all situations that God places us in, knowing that the Spirit will inspire us with the right words and allow us to be a vessel for God to speak through. When we trust in our Father and submit to the Holy Spirit, we do not need to rely on our own human words for strength, but instead, we can rely on the power of the Spirit as it teaches us what to say in the hour and moment we need to say it. His Spirit is always with us and is our constant security. It is our faithful Helper that will never let us down, and to which we can turn to in the most difficult times. If we remain close to the Lord, we will not be left standing speechless, or worse, speaking foolishly. In all our weakness, the Spirit will faithfully intercede on our behalf, mediating to the Father with deep murmurings when we do not know what to pray for, and filling our mouth with the Lord’s will and wisdom when we most need Him. So neither should we stay silent in fear when we know the Lord is asking us to speak, nor should we try to rely on our own skill or charming words, because when service to the Lord calls, the Helper will speak through us, so that glory is given to the One who deserves it.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:26-27

“And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” 1 Corinthians 2:13

“for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:12

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26

“When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5