P.R.A.Y.E.R - E for Empowered
We are “empowered” when we pray in the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit is to experience the “Spirit of life” bringing prayer to life as He carries our prayers to the Father. He blesses us with the awareness of God’s presence and leads us to the warmth of communion with Him.
Prayer in the power of the flesh relies upon human ability and effort to carry our prayers forward. We have all felt dryness in prayer with little to say. In these times, we are not praying in the Spirit. Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit as our “Helper.” He is our advocate in prayer giving us direction, confidence, and the desire to pray.
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…
All prayers are heard by God, but this verse from Romans gives us encouragement to know that the Spirit will help us pray.
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words…
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. The word "weakness" references our human limitations. We are unable to fully know God’s heart and will in this life.
The Spirit helps us know what to pray for. Even though we don’t know where to start, we can call upon the Holy Spirit to prompt us to pray in the direction that God wants to take us. God's will determines how our prayers will be answered.
The Spirit prays for us with sounds that cannot be put into words. We don’t have to have it all together to pray. God’s indwelling Spirit will pray for us. There is divine communication within the Trinity that is beyond our comprehension. The Holy Spirit knows the will of God and helps us by pray in unutterable words which God understands. When we struggle to find the right words in prayer, God’s Spirit has not left us. He is still with us, helping us.
The Spirit breathes bold life into our prayers. The beauty of this boldness is that it is not “demanding” but humble and holy. Prayer is not about bringing God into our world with a list of requests, but how God brings us into His world so that we can be exposed to His heart and mind. Praying in the Spirit makes us vigilant for God’s purposes.
The Apostle Paul instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-19 to “pray continuously” and not to “quench the Spirit.” We should never pass on an impulse to pray. When we ignore these promptings, we are dousing the flame of the Spirit living in us. With obedience to the call to “pray continuously,” we fan the flame of God’s gift to us – our “Helper.”
Stay Hungry,
Big E
Matt. 5:6