Thursday, November 5, 2020
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. 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. Romans
8:26-27
We have been talking a lot about prayer in the past few
weeks. Praying, and praying in the Spirit, is vital to our growth in Christ, as
well as our response in every area of our life. Praying in the Spirit is also
God’s way of working His will in and through our lives. With the power and help
of the Holy Spirit, we are ushered into God’s presence, and He is with us in
our lives.
What Praying in the Spirit Is Not
What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? Let’s start with what
praying in the Spirit is not:
Praying in the Spirit is not always an emotional
experience. Do not think that if you are not weeping profusely you must
not have been praying in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is not praying with our head or
our heart only. The Holy Spirit is there to help us in our weakness,
through no power of our own. If we think we need to control how things go with
our head or heart, this is relying on our flesh and our own ability. When we
pray in the Spirit, we are resting in His power.
Praying in the Spirit does not require saying many
words, or using flowery speech, or big spiritual terms. It is not about
how long or how short your prayer is. It is not about how great you think you
sound. It is about opening your heart to your God with the help of your Holy
Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is not about looking like or sounding
like someone else. Prayer is a very personal, individual thing, just
like worship. Some people like to move and raise their hands when they sing,
and some do not. It is a personal thing. You pray and talk to God in the way
you feel comfortable. You don’t need to stand a certain way or sound like
someone else you have heard. God does not want that either. He wants YOU, just
as you are.
What Praying In The Spirit Is
To pray in the Spirit is to admit our inability to
pray effectively without Him. We need the Holy Spirit, and Jesus knew
we would which is why He told us He was giving us the Holy Spirit to be with us
when His time on earth was over.
To pray in the Spirit is to seek and receive the
presence of God within us – invite Him in, emptying out “self” to allow
Him to take control.
To pray in the Spirit is to be moved and guided by the
Spirit in prayer. Be willing to let Him lead you. Open your
heart and mind to His promptings and follow them.
Truly I can say that regularly I have circumstances in my
life that I don’t always know exactly how to pray for. The Holy Spirit knows
exactly what needs to be said and He goes before God on my part. The Holy
Spirit enhances our prayer life and gives power that we will never know of if
we don’t use the gift of the Spirit. We can rely on the Spirit to help us, and
we can pray with the confidence of knowing that He will make our needs known in
a way we cannot do at times. What a comfort and an amazing gift we have in the
power of the Holy Spirit in our lives!
