“Prayer is the midwife of mercy. It helps to deliver us.”

Romans 8:26 

I used to think that midwives were only present and engaged with expectant moms right before and during labor and delivery. Only recently did I realize that midwives remain on the scene even once the babies are delivered and the mom returns home from the hospital. This is to help mom adjust as the life change to motherhood can be jolting. This is what prayer is to us. It’s easy to think that prayer is only needed when something is wrong or when something big is about to happen. While prayer is certainly necessary during those times, a consistent prayer life builds us up so that when problems do come, we’re spiritually adept to handle them. That’s what the midwife does: she prepares by helping the mom adjust many aspects of her life. That’s what prayer does. The outcome is to help us adjust the many aspects of our lives.

Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” I’ve often been in places where I could not verbalize what I was feeling during prayer, nor could I even figure out in my head what I needed from God. Sometimes, the pain, the confusion, and the instability were so real that words would not come. It’s in those times where I need God’s Holy Spirit to come in swiftly to deliver mercy to me. 

When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, at the very brink of His impending death, he prayed that God remove the cup of death from Him. Then in Matthew 26:42, Jesus realized that God was not going to, so Jesus said, “If this cup cannot pass by, but I must drink it, Your will be done.” The Gospel then indicates that an angel came to strengthen Him. In my research of Gethsemane, I’ve learned that the Hebrew word for Gethsamane is “gat shemen” and means “olive press.” Olive trees take a long time to grow and require much care to become productive. The oil that olives produce is valuable and symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This oil is produced through crushing and beating, much in the same way that Jesus' body was crushed and beaten. He was the olive that was pressed to produce deliver us from captivity. He prayed and though He did not get the answer His flesh wanted, His spirit knew what the end would be and knew that His death was the only way that we would be ma.

If you look closely, God’s mercy is woven throughout His Word. But the ultimate show of mercy was the giving of His Son to pay for humanity’s sins. We are granted that mercy each time we commune with Him through prayer. Every time we set aside moments to talk to Him, to think about Him, to reflect on the countless ways He has freed us, that mercy comes back to us fresh and we are reminded that He is ours and we are His. Having the freedom to pray should not be taken for granted because that prayer brings our deliverance. 

Prayer for Release: Lord, speaking with You on a consistent basis delivers me from trouble before I even know the trouble is there. Your Spirit makes me strong. Thank you for delivering me from captivity through your grace and mercy.