[Power of the Word] Praying in the Spirit--Part 4
Daniel Brady
“…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—“ --Ephesians 6:18
Praying in the Spirit and praying in Jesus’ Name are essentially the same, because each concept means praying in accordance with the will and authority of God. As I said last time, we do not always know (or perfectly know) the will of God. However, Jesus promised that if we will abide in Him, and if His Word abides in us, then we can know the will of God. For our will shall come into alignment with His will.
I also told you that abiding in Christ begins with allowing the Word of God to abide in you. For it is the primary method through which the Holy Spirit leads and guides us.
Consider this: I spent most of the past several months talking about the Word of God, which Ephesians 6:17 declares to be “the sword of the Spirit.” I failed to mention it at the time, but why does Paul say that the Bible is the sword of the Spirit? Because the Holy Spirit uses it to penetrate our hearts and cut away everything that doesn’t belong there.
For this reason, allowing the Word of God to abide in you goes beyond reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible. It means opening yourself up to the Holy Spirit and saying, “Lord, use this Word of God—this passage I am reading—to sanctify me. Show me the things in my life that I need to change. Show me the will of God.” As you ask the Spirit to do this, you can be certain He will. For in John 16:13, speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, “He will guide you into all truth.”
As you ask the Holy Spirit to teach, lead, and guide you through His Word, you will know more and more of the will of God. And then as you become obedient to His will, you will be abiding more and more in Christ. As this happens, you will gain confidence that the things you pray for will be in accordance with the will of God and that your prayers will be answered as you want them to be answered. This, I believe is the essence of praying in the Spirit.
Now, the problem is that we do not always perfectly abide in Christ. We do not always perfectly allow the Word of God to abide in us (or to dwell in us richly, as Colossians 3:16 puts it). Therefore, we do not have a 100% guarantee that what we ask for will always be in accordance with the will of God. Sometimes, we have desires that are contrary to His will. What we desire may be a good thing, so far as we can tell. But there are times when God has other things planned for our lives that we do not yet see. And certainly, when interceding for others, I think it would be foolish of us to presume that we know the will of God for those people’s lives.
In fact, there may be times when circumstances are so difficult that we just don’t know what to pray for. Paul speaks of this in Romans 8:26. In such cases, particularly, praying in the Spirit can mean starting your prayers by saying, “Holy Spirit, show me how to pray for this situation.” Even in your daily quiet time, it would not be a bad idea to say, “Lord, show me how to pray today. What do you want me to pray for? Who do you want me to pray for, and how should I pray for them?” Just allow the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer life.
Subjecting yourself to the will and authority of God. Allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you, lead you, and guide you through His Word, and asking Him to show you how to pray...this is praying in the Spirit.
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