In Romans 8:26, Paul said “the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” when we don’t know how to pray as we ought. What, precisely, are these groanings that Paul speaks of?
The most common Pentecostal interpretation is that Paul was referring to praying in tongues (see 1 Corinthians 14:14-15). I adopted that perspective as a new believer, but later came to question it for a couple of reasons. First, Paul did not use the word for “tongues.” He spoke of “groanings,” which does not accurately describe praying in tongues. Second, these groanings are said to be “too deep for words.” That means they are not expressed verbally. Tongues, however, are expressed verbally. Tongues is a real language using real words. It does not make any sense to speak of a “language that is too deep for words.” That’s a contradiction in terms. As John Stott wrote, “These groans can hardly be glossolalia, since those ‘tongues’ or languages were expressed in words which some could understand and interpret.”[1]
Thinking to Believe 