Praying in the Spirit
In Ephesians 6.18, Paul reminds the church to pray “at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Whether you are interceding for someone, asking for something, giving praise and thanksgiving, or just communing with God, all should be done “in the Spirit”. The expression, “pray in”, can have several different meanings. It can mean, by means of, with the help of, in the sphere of and in connection to. Praying in the Spirit refers to how one prays, more than what he prays. All these meanings can be seen in the Scriptures.
Paul elaborates on, “by means of”, when he instructs the Corinthian church about speaking in tongues. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was sent to baptize the believers who had gathered together in the Upper Room. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues, “as the Spirit gave them utterance”. (Acts 2.4) Paul explains that one can pray with his spirit and also pray with his mind. (I Cor. 14.14) St. Patrick of Ireland, in the 5th century, wrote in The Confession, about praying in a strange language in a dream, then at the end of this prayer he heard a voice saying: “He who gave His life for you, He it is who speaks within you.” He had been praying by means of the Holy Spirit.
To the Romans, Paul explains how praying in the Spirit is praying with the help of the Spirit of God. Many times we do not know how to pray as we should. The will of God seems obscured and confused by our own thoughts and desires. By praying in the Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit that helps us in our weakness to pray according to the will of God. We cannot claim what God never promised and by praying by means of the Spirit we have the assurance that our prayers will be heard and answered. The Spirit of God knows the mind of God and will pray through us His will.
The third meaning of “praying in” the Spirit is that of praying in the sphere of, or area of the Spirit’s moving and leading. It is praying when He says to pray and how He leads to pray. This requires being sensitive to His voice and speaking forth the words He reveals to you. Praying in the sphere of the Spirit is prophetic praying. It is declaring, in prayer, what God is saying. Ezekiel’s tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth, until the Spirit gave him words to speak, then his mouth was loosed and he could speak forth the oracles of God. (Ez. 3.26-27) John was “in the Spirit” when he received the revelation of the end times. (Rev. 1.10)
The last of these meanings is that of being “in connection to”. This is utter dependency. The branch has no life apart from the vine. The branch must be connected to bear fruit. Jesus said the words he spoke were the word His Father had given Him to say. What He did was what He saw the Father doing. Jesus was connected. He was in the Spirit. Being connected to the Spirit of God means being a channel of His power and grace to others. As the Lord speaks through us, His will is accomplished, others are helped and we too are blessed. Jude said to build up our faith by praying in the Spirit. (Jude 20)
Praying in the Spirit, whether in an unknown language or not, is the only way to effectively pray. It comes with the guarantee that His Will will be done and His Kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Rom. 8.26-27; I Cor. 14.14-15; Eph. 6.18; Jude 20