PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT: DESIRE

Praying in the Spirit provides desire. This counteracts the poverty of prayer generated by selfish indifference. In Romans 8:15, we read, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ ”

God’s Spirit draw us heavenward and gives voice to our praying. As a little child, we raise our hands to a loving Father and cry, “Abba!” We do not approach Him as cringing slaves, but confident sons!

Apart from God’s gracious activity in us, there will be no passion for the things of the Spirit. Our lives will be given to material pursuits, our minds will be consumed with carnal pleasures, and our energies will be directed to worldly passions. It is the presence and power of God’s Spirit that raises our perception to see spiritual matters in a different light and that realigns our passions to set spiritual affections on a different love.

Paul wrote in Phil.2:13, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Jesus always modeled that very spirit. He had the kind of impetus that drove Him to pray with intimacy and intensity. In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed these same words, “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36). This was but the climax of a life given to passionate and persistent prayer. In that He sets the standard for us. But, trying to follow that pattern by self-effort is doomed to failure. We will either become self-righteous hypocrites who offer ritual prayers to impress others or just stop praying altogether, despairing at our futility to pray as we ought. The good news is that we don’t have to try in the energy of the flesh to be like Jesus—Jesus lives in us. My heart is His home! His Spirit expresses His prayer through His body!

This is praying in the Spirit. He generates the desire within us to pray. God’s will is expressed through our voice as we call upon Him.