I’ve never really been great at learning new languages, but while studying abroad in Italy, I really wanted to communicate on my own without carrying a dictionary or translation guide. I spent the entire first semester immersing myself in the culture and drilling myself on flashcards, writing short stories for my teachers to correct, and having random conversations with any Italian person who would tolerate my hodge-podge attempt at communicating. By the second semester I could hold my own and was really starting to feel comfortable with the culture and the language. One night while visiting a friend’s family for the first time, I was relaxing in the sitting room with my friend’s mother as she and her husband peppered me with questions. I answered each question and for elaboration, I would say, “In fact…” After several moments, the mother grabbed my friend’s leg and said something quickly to him in Italian; he laughed and said something back to her that I didn’t understand then leaned into me and said in English, “Are you trying to say…(and said the Italian word for “in fact”)?” I nodded eagerly, “Of course!” He laughed and nodded at his mother and then said to me, “Ok, well, the word you are saying means “heart attack”. To say that I was embarrassed would be an understatement.
What a blessing that we can communicate with God without having to worry about translations, meanings, or even the words themselves. The Holy Spirit can intervene and interpret for us even when we don’t have the words to convey what our heart wants to say.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
Romans 8:26-27
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