Praying in the Spirit
Ephesians 6:18 NLT - “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
Prayer expresses a need that we are unable to satisfy. It is an acknowledgement that we live in total dependence on God our Father.
In the first part of Ephesians 6:18 we read that we are to “pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion”. I believe that this means that our prayers are moved and guided by the Holy Spirit. All the things we pray for are being shaped and determined by the Holy Spirit. It is His power that is at work when we pray. Paul is asking us to pray consciously, recognising that the Holy Spirit gives us direct access to the Father.
The second half of Ephesians 6:18, “stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere”, encourages us to be persistent in praying what is on our hearts in power and boldness for others too. Praying in the Spirit is part of the whole Christian life, which is lived in the Spirit. Everything we do is to be done in and by the Holy Spirit. I do not think that “praying in the Spirit” refers only to praying in tongues, our heavenly language, because the verse states that we are to pray at “all times” in the Spirit – this is all our prayers, including praying in tongues.
Praying in the Spirit is the opposite to praying in the flesh, which relies on human ability and effort to carry the prayer forward. We all know what it is like to feel like we are praying lifeless prayers, struggling to pray or being tongue-tied with nothing to pray and having to force ourselves to pray. This is praying in the flesh. To overcome this, we need to yield to the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of life. He brings our prayers to life as He empowers them and carries them to the Father in the name of Jesus. We finally realise that we are in God’s presence, speaking to God. The Holy Spirit illuminates our minds, moves our hearts and we have freedom as we pray in the Spirit.
Jenny Durrheim
Reflection: If you are finding your prayers heavy going, how about asking the Holy Spirit what to pray.
TOGETHER PRAYER: Macquarie Families