How often do you pray? How do you pray? Are you praying in the Spirit? Do you wonder what that means? Are you praying in accordance with God’s will? Do you wonder what his will is? Are you alert? Are you persevering?
We all pray some. Some of us pray a lot. Often our prayers are for people we know or ourselves. We ask for healing. We ask for guidance. We ask for relief. We ask for strength. We ask for courage. We ask for wisdom. We ask for discernment. But are those God’s will?
A lesson that’s taken me many years to learn is that sometimes I need to say, “God, I don’t know what to ask for, do what furthers your plan.” Then I am quiet. I listen. I wait for God. Sometimes God provides a thought right away. Other times, he doesn’t provide it for quite some time—days or weeks.
I believe telling God we don’t know what to pray for, ask for his will, and be quiet is one way to pray in the Spirit. But there will be times when we can feel the Holy Spirit moving us and guiding our prayer, which is praying in the Spirit as well. We much prefer the latter rather than the former.
Our culture doesn’t like quiet. We are always busy. If we are not busy in conversation with someone, we are busy doing something. Our phones seem to be an extension of our hands. Our minds are constantly occupied. It makes it near impossible to be still and that God is with us.
I pray we all seek to pray in the Spirit. I pray we cherish quiet time. I pray each one of us will set aside our busyness, stop, and be still, waiting for God. Pran in the Spirit. Listen for God to speak. Ask for God’s will to be revealed. Sit quietly with God. Be still and know that he is God.
Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Marty Pressey 