Praying in the Spirit
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6:18
Advertisement
Do you ever get sick and tired of praying? We’re all guilty of it, but in this verse we see how to get out of that prayer rut. Continual, effectual prayer is not, and cannot be, an exercise of our flesh; . . . it is the exercise of the Spirit within us. In Romans 8:26, Paul gives us additional insight into this essential matter when he points out that “the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” We typically find ourselves trying to project our prayers and petitions through space to some far-off place where God dwells and where we have a mansion awaiting our arrival. But Paul tells us in Ephesians that God is joining us “together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit” (2:22). Our eternal destiny is to corporately and individually be the place where the Spirit dwells and through which he intercedes. God is using every circumstance to help us grasp this truth and to learn to let the “rivers of living water” flow through us.
Prayers:
OH, GOD, teach me to know the presence of your Spirit within me and to walk and live in continual awareness of it. May you freely live your life in me, express your heart through me, and pray through me. I know that I can’t accomplish any of this through my own efforts, but with you, nothing is impossible!
Quotes:
THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER WILL NOT ONLY SHOW YOU THE TRUE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF PRAYER; HE WILL ALSO LIFT YOU IN ALL YOUR HELPLESSNESS UP TO THE VERY HEART OF GOD WHERE YOU WILL BE WARMED BY HIS LOVE, SO THAT YOU CAN BEGIN TO PRAY ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, ASKING FOR NOTHING EXCEPT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE IN HARMONY WITH HIS PLANS AND PURPOSES.
Ole Hallesby (1879–1961)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are: Isaiah 54:1–57:14; Ephesians 6:1-24; Psalm 70:1-5 and Proverbs 24:8.
