Pray by the Spirit

Many times we have seen that we depend on the Holy Spirit for prayer. This stands out with great clarity here : "Praying at all times by the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and supplications" (Ephesians 6:18), and in Jude 1:20 : "Praying by the Holy Spirit". Indeed, the whole secret of prayer lies in these words : "by the Spirit". The prayer that God the Father hears is the one God the Holy Spirit has inspired... Nothing is more foolish when we pray than to rush into the presence of God in the presence of God to ask the first thing that comes to us in mind.

When we enter God's presence, we should first be silent before Him. We should look to him to send us his Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray. We must wait for the Holy Spirit, submit to the Spirit, only then will we pray in the right way.

Frequently, when we come to God in prayer, we do not feel ready to pray. What to do in such a case ? Stop praying until you feel ready ? Not at all ! It is precisely when we feel least willing to pray that we need it the most. We should be at peace with God and tell him how cold and empty our hearts are. We must look to him, trust him and expect him to send his Holy Spirit to warm our hearts and raise them in prayer. It does not take long before the ardent presence of the Holy Spirit fills our hearts and we begin to pray freely, in a direct, fervent and powerful way. Many of the most blessed prayer times I have ever had started with a deep sense of spiritual death and a complete lack of prayer. But in my helplessness and coldness I surrendered myself to God, and looked to him to send his Holy Spirit to teach me to pray, and he did it. When we pray by the Spirit, we ask what is right and what is right. There is then joy and power in our prayer.

Jeremy Sourdril