A Thought From the Word

"…praying in the Holy Ghost." Jude 20

Prayer is of vital necessity among God's people. We are drawn into closer communion with God through prayer. We obtain spiritual strength through prayer. Spiritual battles are fought and won through prayer. We give God much-deserved adoration and thanksgiving through prayer.

To pray in the Holy Ghost is to pray according to the will of God. We cannot claim the Holy Spirit's power in our prayers if we pray for something that is contrary to His will. All our prayer requests should be able to pass this test: does it glorify God? If it does, then it is a worthy prayer. If not, it must not be prayed.

To pray in the Holy Ghost is to pray with the influence, power and energy of Him! We all know what it is to have our prayers seem dry, dull, and difficult. But we should ask for and seek for those times when the Spirit powerfully gives us a spirit of prayer. This is when we are empowered to pray with boldness and confidence before God. These are the times when are able to pray in faith before God. And these are the times when we pray in submission before God, seeking His will to ultimately be done.

I heard of a man who once had such a spirit of prayer. It was a cold winter and he went before God in prayer and agonized at the throne of grace. When he finished his fervent prayer time, which went on for some time, he found he had been so engaged in this worthy activity that his clothes were wet with sweat. He had really done some praying! The result of such prayer is told us in James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

Let us ask the Lord to help us to pray in the Holy Ghost.