Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Ephesians 6v18 ESV
This verse comes straight after the instructions on how to put on the armour of God. When we pray, we are entering into Spiritual warfare on our own behalf, and also on the behalf of others. We are encouraged to pray in the Spirit and with every type of prayer. So, what does that mean in normal everyday life?
Praying in the Spirit is not some mystical thing where you are caught up into some sort of out of body experience. It is not necessarily a highly emotional thing, although I admit I often cry when I pray. It is not shouting at the top of your voice, or mumbling incoherently. Praying in the Spirit is praying in accordance with God’s Word.
We are told to pray fervently and effectually. This implies that prayer is a very active thing. It is not just passively reciting a well-known prayer at the end of the day before we go to bed, or saying a certain “grace” at mealtimes. We need to be wide awake and alert to pray in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit is praying the Word of God. It is praying for the things that we know please God and bring glory and honour to Him. It is not praying our will, but His will.
The Lord’s Prayer is a pattern we can follow as we learn to pray in the Spirit. Only God’s children can address Him as Father, and God’s children will seek to display His “hallowedness” or holiness in all that they do. His name is sacred, and they will not use His name as an expletive. God’s children will ask Him to fill them with His Spirit so that they can live according to His Kingdom’s principles and in the way His Word reveals. When we pray with this attitude of heart, we are praying in the Spirit.
Praying in the Spirit means we can cry out to God in times when we are in need. In a society where borrowing money and buying on credit is so readily available, it is so easy to by pass what God wants us to do, which is to rely on Him to supply what our own hard work cannot.
Praying in the Spirit means seeking and giving forgiveness. The two go hand in hand. We cannot receive God’s forgiveness if we refuse to forgive others. Forgiving others is not negating the terrible things they may have done to us, but it is recognising that none of us are worthy of His forgiveness. His grace and mercy forgave us every sinful thought, word and action we have ever done. We in turn need to extend that same forgiveness to others. It is not easy. It has taken me years to forgive and let go of some of the hurts I have received in life. But it is the only way to find the fullness of joy that God promises us. When I struggle with unforgiveness, I ask God to help me to forgive, to help me see that the one who has hurt me is just as lost a sinner as I was before God found me and brought me to Himself.
Praying in the Spirit is being alert to the temptations that come across our path. Everyone is tempted by different things. When we recognise our weaknesses, we need to ask our Father to help us through these times of temptation. We need to put strategies in place and apply the principles of God’s Word to help us through the mine field of temptation.
Praying in the Spirit is asking Our Father to equip us to live in the way of His Kingdom, through the power of His Spirit and for His glory alone.
Praying in the Spirit is not just words, but words in action.
