The Novena is based on Isaiah 11:2:The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
During this season leading up to Pentecost when we are praying The Novena to the Holy Spirit I have frequently found myself so tired at the end of the day that I can barely pray as I should. I will admit that I even had to catch up a couple of times because I was too otherwise distracted to pray the particular day's prayer. How discouraging to be so overwhelmed by life that one prays a day late for such things as wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge and fear of the Lord?
On the nights I can do no more than mouth the words I have called sincerely upon what I consider to be one of the greatest gifts the Spirit gives - praying for me with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:25-27 assures us that:
...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. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
This Pentecost my heart-felt prayer is:
Holy Spirit come to me and pray for me for I know not what to ask. And that is a perfectly acceptable alternative novena.
The image used here is extracted from a photograph taken by Dawn Glascock. This window is in St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Greenville, Alabama.
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