Day 2 : Praying with the emotions or with the intelligence ?

We have seen the need for perseverance.

Today we will see another aspect. Read with me 1 Cor 14-15 : "I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray also with understanding ...".

Speaking of 'praying in spirit', we can understand from the context that Paul speaks here of speaking in tongues, but it is this last part that interests us here.

Often, few Christians pray with intelligence and many pray especially with their emotions or what comes to their mind at the time, while hoping that it will be 'the Holy Spirit who will lead them'.

It is good to reflect before praying and actually using his intelligence and asking the right questions : "What are the real needs today ? Mine ? Those of my couple ? From my home ? From my city, my country ? From this world? What does the Bible say and promise in this kind of situation, and what does it teach us as prayers ? How, then, can we pray in a biblical way and according to God's will in order to ensure maximum listening and fulfillment from God ? How can we know the heart of God so that we can really pray according to his will ?"

In the verse we have already seen in Romans, Paul said that he served God in his spirit. That sounds obvious, but it is not. Do we pray in the Spirit or in our soul, with our feelings, our thoughts, our convictions ?

Are we seeking emotion during prayer, a 'presence', or do we really want to serve God 'in spirit' ? Always, first of all, pray to know the will of God, before we can know what, and how, to pray! We will talk about it in the days to come.

"Lord, I will serve thee in the Spirit. Teach me to pray in the Spirit, and enlighten my understanding. In the name of Jesus, amen."

René de Groot