Ephesians 6:18 NIV
“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.”
INSIGHT
-Prayer should be directed, energized, and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes when we pray, we get distracted and our minds veer away, and we loose concentration. The Holy Spirit helps us to remain alert at heart and in our minds. Prayer is to include supplication in the Spirit, Who guides us according to His will. Romans 8:26 tells us that, the Spirit helps in our weaknesses for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. As we begin this year we should desire to pray in the Spirit at all times and, we will have our requests.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit we welcome You in our hearts. We yearn for You every day our lives. As a deer pants for streams of water, so our souls pant for You Lord our God. We yearn for You Holy Spirit. Our hearts, our minds, our souls, yearn for You. May You may fill us with Your strength, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. May You make intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. As we begin this year, may You guide us in all prayer, intercession, supplication, and thanksgiving, and answer all our prayers and hearts desires according to Your will. All this we pray believing and trusting in Jesus mighty name. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 37:4
Genesis 24:45-48 NIV
“Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also. “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ “She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’ “Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son.”
INSIGHT
-Abraham sent Eliezer to go to his fathers house and find a wife for his son Isaac. Not much is said about Eliezer but we are sure he was obedient, prayerful and had some trails similar to his master Abraham. We find that he prayed from the heart and his request was granted. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord for a son. The Lord responded to her request and she bore a son at the prophecy of Eli (1 Samuel 1:10). Sometimes we find ourselves praying in the spirit when in are in a quiet place, and the Lord responds to us. Other times we are travailing prayer about a certain need and the manifestation is instant, and we are perplexed by the goodness of God.
PRAYER
Most precious Holy Spirit we love You. Thank You for loving us first. Thank You for taking good care of us. Thank You for You knew us before we were formed in our mothers womb. Thank You for You know our needs before we present them to You. May You see our deepest desires and answer us according to Your will and good pleasure. May You respond to all those who are waiting on You for marriage partners and grant them the grace of marriage. May You grant the gift of children for all married couples dear LORD. You are our LORD and God and there is none like You. May You grant us good success and make all our ways prosperous merciful Savior. We exult You and bless Your name now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Matthew 6:8
James 4:3 NIV
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
INSIGHT
-Sometimes we pray without the help of the Holy Spirit and it becomes futile. This is an expression of carnality and the deceitful nature and wickedness of the heart. Wordly and fleshly lusts are distempers, which will not allow content or satisfaction. Sinful desires and affections stop prayer, and the working of our desires toward God. The best of us can still fail, we need to be led by the Holy Spirit and remain in God’s will.
PRAYER
Oh Heavenly Father, we thank You for all You have done for us. Thank You for Your mercies and kindness towards us. Oh Lord You are slow to anger and always thoughtful of us, that is why You sent us Your Holy Spirit to help us in all our shortcomings, and all our needs in our walk with Christ. Thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit dear Father. Holy Spirit we invite You to take over our lives and our hearts. May You reign in all our endeavors and matters. We invite You to guide us in all truth. Show us how to please the Father with our faith and prayers of understanding. May You hold our hands and speak the heart of our understanding. May You open our eyes that we may see and our ears that we may hear from You. Help us to obey You always. May You teach us how to pray that we may not pray amiss and help us in our weakness. May You deliver us from the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life. May You increase in us, our churches and leaders wisdom so that we may always do Your will. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: 1 John 2:16
1 Corinthians 14:13-15 NIV
“For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.”
INSIGHT
-Speaking in tongues was important during Paul’s time as it is today. It helps us to efficiently communicate with God through prayer. If we pray through tongues, we speak directly to God alone. According to 1 Corinthians 14:2 which says that, “for anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.” The word spirit here is pneuma which is understood as the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues is not understood by men as one may try to apply their intellect, mind, mental efforts and operations which is unfruitful. During Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:3-4). We are reminded to ask the Lord to teach us how to pray as the disciples asked Jesus in Luke 11:1, so that we may pray in the spirit and abide in Him.
PRAYER
You are Yahweh Lord our Maker and our God. You are our King of glory and our good Shepherd. You are our God in whom we put our trust. May You fill us with Your Holy Spirit and grant us the gift of speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues. May You teach us how to pray dear Jesus. May You bless us indeed LORD and enlarge our territories, that Your hand would be with us, and that You would keep us from evil, that we may not cause pain. May You teach us to pray dear Jesus and help us to pray in the spirit. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Luke 11:1-4, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11
Jude 1:20-21 NKJV
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
INSIGHT
-Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6), and he was called the father of faith. He obeyed God when he was tested and he overcame and was a friend of God, from whom the Lord has chosen us (Isaiah 41:8), as his seeds according to the promise. If we believe in Jesus Christ we have the promise of eternal life (John 3:16). We are then called to believe in God and continual prayer in the Spirit for self-edification as we build up of our faith. Also, persisting in loving attitude and behavior for God and human kind through the Holy Spirit.
SUMMARY
Praying in the spirit is prayer with divine help from the Holy Spirit. It is trusting in God, having faith in Him and His guidance to hear, understand, and act according to His will. Sometimes we can set our hearts and minds to a time of prayer and still pray amis. That is why we need the help of the Holy Spirit when we pray, so that our prayers may not be hindered (James 4:3). Before we progress into deep prayer, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to pray according to His will. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and when we do not know what we ought to pray for, the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through groanings that cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26). Praying in the Spirit is a gift to be received through faith in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of the speaking in tongues and when we pray, we pray in tongues. He fills us and we begin to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gives us utterance (Acts 2:4). Brethren are therefore able to pray in and through the Holy Spirit. Both are mutually exclusive. When we pray in the Spirit on all occasions with every kind of prayer and request, we need to be alert in mind even though distractions may come (Ephesians 6:18). Prayer in the Spirit, helps us to built up in faith (Jude 1:20). Let us always remember to prayer in the spirit as the Holy Spirit leads us.
PRAYER
Dear Almighty God we come before Your throne of grace with confidence that You may help us in times of need. We thank You for all You have done for us and unto us. We thank You for Your mercies that are new and fresh every morning. We humbly ask You to help us when we pray that we may always pray according to Your will. May You increase our faith and teach us to be obedient to You and hearken to Your voice always. We appreciate You Jehovah for who You are in our lives. May You bless us LORD and keep us. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: Romans 8:35-39, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18