September 9

Job 36:1-37:24
Psalm 106:32-39
Proverbs 22:7-8
1 Corinthians 14:1-25

“Praying in the Spirit”
I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding.
—1 Corinthians 14:15

What does it mean to pray “in the Spirit”? Here again, there is a good deal of misunderstanding among Christians as to the true meaning of this phrase.

There are times when one feels deeply affected emotionally as one prays, but this is not the meaning of the phrase “praying in the Spirit.” It has no relationship to the emotions that we feel in prayer. I am not saying that feelings are unimportant in prayer; I am simply saying that I do not believe this is what Paul had in mind when he used the phrase “praying in the Spirit.”

The “spirit” spoken of here is not the human spirit but the Holy Spirit. Some believe that “praying in the Spirit” takes place when we pray in other tongues, and although it can include that, I believe it is much more than that.

Prayer that is “in the Spirit” is prayer that is prompted and guided by the Spirit. One commentator puts it this way: “It means that the Holy Spirit directs the prayer, creates the prayer within us, and empowers us to offer it and to pray it.”

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls praying in the Spirit “the secret of true prayer” and goes on to say: “If we do not pray in the Spirit, we do not really pray.” I would hesitate to make such a sweeping statement myself, but I would go so far as to say that if we do not know what it means to pray in the Spirit, our prayers will have little impact upon Satan and his forces.

Prayer
Dear Father, I have so much to learn about prayer that unless You take my hand and guide me, I can soon lose my way. Teach me how to enter the deeper levels of prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Further Study
Rm 8:1-17, 26; Lk 11:13; 24:49
To what does the Spirit bear witness?
What was Christ’s promise to His disciples?

Every Day with Jesus Daily Bible – September 09