Week 48 - Praying with the Spirit’s Assistance

There’s a lot of food for thought in Ephesians 6 — children obeying their parents, wearing the armor of God, and more — but as I read the chapter again, verse 18 really stuck with me: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

I make it a point to pray every day. And if that sounds like boasting, let me clarify: I don’t always do a good job at it. Somedays I find myself praying a “rote” prayer: repeating things I pray for on a regular basis without much thought. Praying mechanically.

Does God hear such prayers? I think so. Does he want me to do better, to pray more fervently? I think so. After all, in Ephesians 6, Paul says to “pray in the Spirit.” And this isn’t the only place in the Bible, where Christians are instructed to do this. To wit:

Jude 1:20: “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,”

Rom. 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

1 Cor. 14:15: “What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also”

What does praying in the Spirit mean? According to John Gill’s commentary, prayer, “when performed aright, is performed ‘in the Spirit’; with the heart, soul, and spirit engaged in it. It is put up with a true heart, and a right spirit, and without hypocrisy; in a spiritual way, and with fervency, and under the influence, and by the assistance of the Spirit of God.”

If I’m going to pray in the Spirit, I must realize that, on my own, I can’t pray effectively. After all, I’m human; sometimes If find myself at a loss for the proper words in prayer — or saying too many words as if a long prayer is better than a short one.

I must open myself up and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me when I pray. He will take my imperfect prayers and perfect them before God. As Christians, we must set aside time to pray without distractions. If we do this — constantly and with purpose — the Holy Spirit will help us by bringing to mind the things for which we should pray.

— Dennis Sellers