Monday, July 19, 2010

Pray in the Spirit

So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will (Romans 8:26-27 -Amplified).

Praying is the spirit, in other tongues, is such an effective means of prayer! Think about all of the incredible benefits you gain by spending time with your Father praying in your heavenly language.

Praying in the spirit gives us the ability to pray unlimited prayers about any subject and any person worldwide! It takes us out of the finite and places us in the infinite. It takes us out of the realm of reason and places us in the realm where God knows, understands, and sees all! We literally pray the perfect will of God when we take time to pray in tongues.

Many times you’re praying about future events in your life when you pray in tongues. Romans 8:28 reveals that all things work together for a pattern of good to those who love God and are called to His purposes. Things work out for good in your life if you’re a person given to spiritual praying.

Praying in the spirit helps us pray about the most important things. 1 Corinthians 14:2 calls them secret truth and hidden things that are not obvious to the understanding (Amplified). Family, friends, business, government, ministry, relationships, finances, the list goes on as to areas covered by this kind of praying.

Praying in the spirit builds up your spirit. It brings edification, rest, and power to the human spirit. Think of it, this is the rest with which the weary rest (Isaiah 28:12). I work hard often to the point of weariness mentally and physically. But after a season of praying in the spirit comes a sense of refreshment from the inside.

None of these things I’ve mentioned are attached to feelings. Most of the time your mind will tell you praying in tongues is a waste. But nothing could be further from the truth! It’s the best way to pray!

I encourage you to take at least an hour each day to pray in the spirit. Over time it will lift you into the purposes of God for your life and bring blessing to everything around you.

2 comments:

  1. "the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance." I have always taken this part literally. Inside not outside, unspeakable too deep for utterance means that it is inward to me... not spoken out loud for everyone to hear. I have always thought that how we pray isn't nearly as important as what we pray and indeed that we do pray. Am I wrong here?

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  2. ...but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (NIV). PC Nelson, a noted Greek Scholar, mentions that this could also be translated "but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered in articulate speech." Articulate speech is speech that is understandable, or your regular kind of speech.

    I appreciate your comment, however, I must say that how we pray is important too! Certainly we pray with our intellect when we know what and how to pray. But with so much that life brings, we have limited knowledge, so our praying is limited. "Groanings too deep for utterance," or praying in tongues, gives ability to pray for the unknown.

    Some people think this verse is saying that the Holy Spirit prays when we don't know how to pray, but if that is true, it makes the Holy Spirit responsible for our prayer life! He doesn't do our praying for us, He simply helps us in prayer. The word helps in verse 26 is a long Greek word which means "to take hold together with against," and in this context it refers to the Holy Spirit enabling us to pray when our minds are uninformed.
    I've prayed in tongues for almost 34 years now, and by personal experience, I can attest to the help the Holy Spirit provides by praying in the spirit. I encourage you, if you're not baptized in he Holy Spirit, and do not speak in tongues, ask the Lord to reveal His word to you about this experience, then open your heart and receive! See Acts 1:4-6: Acts 2:1-4; Acts 8:1-16: Acts 10:44-46: Acts 19:1-6.

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