“Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need…. Always pray for all God’s people.”
-Ephesians 6:18 (NCV)
Looking for a More Powerful Prayer Life?
What makes our prayer lives powerful?
What is it that deeply connects us to the living God and assures that we have entered Heaven’s throne room?
Paul shares the key in Ephesians 6: “Pray in the Spirit.”
Prayer was never meant to be a fleshly activity. Prayer was never meant to be a mere exercise of the mind. All effective prayer must be intimately connected with the Spirit.
Of course, if praying “in the Spirit” is the key to a joyful, powerful prayer life, we must ask, how does one pray in the Spirit? Some theological perspectives have suggested that spiritual prayer is necessarily dependent upon the spiritual gift of tongues. I love and appreciate the gift of tongues, but as Paul clearly implies in 1 Corinthians 12:30, not all have the spiritual gift of tongues.
So, how can we fulfill Paul’s exhortation to always “pray in the Spirit?” In addition to the gift of tongues, I think there are at least five ways to pray in the Spirit. Today’s post addresses the first way—praying God’s Word.
Scriptural Prayers are Always Spirit-Filled
The first way to pray in the Spirit is to pray God’s Word.
Because all scripture is “God-breathed,” all of God’s Word is full of the Spirit. Thus, when you pray God’s Word, what you are praying is Spirit-filled.
Though it may seem a juvenile exercise, take a moment, place the back of your hand one inch in front of your mouth and repeat these words: “Let there be light.”
As you spoke, what did you feel on the back of your hand?
Breath.
Your words are full of your own breath.
Interestingly, in both the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek languages, the words for breath, wind and Spirit are interchangeable. Translators sometimes struggle to render their meanings accurately and must rely on context for translation decisions.
For example, in the beginning, when Genesis 1 depicts how “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters,” the text could read: “the breath of God was hovering….” When God said, “Let there be light,” His word created light. But that Word was full of His breath, His own Spirit.
Paul put it this way: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV).
In the way your words are full of your own breath, God’s Word is full of His own Spirit. To be “inspired” means “breathed into.” God breathed out His Word by His Spirit.
Therefore, when you pray God’s Word, you are bringing back to God what He has breathed out toward you. When you pray God’s Word, you are praying in His own Spirit.
Learning to pray God’s Word starts with learning to pray the promises of God back to God.
Every child understands this principle: requests based on a parental promise are always more powerful!
If, when my children were young, they approached me with a simple request: “Can we get some ice cream today?” they might receive a variety of parental hesitancies: “We’ll see” or “Not today” or just “No.” Perhaps the child would persist with many “please, please, pleases” or even with a whiny “why not?” But, if it the time wasn’t right time for ice cream, I would have no problem standing my parental ground.
However, if I had mentioned earlier in the day that we would get ice cream later that day (even if my promise had been a careless utterance), everything would change in the child’s petition:
“But Dad, you promised!”
The child who has been promised ice cream will petition for the ice cream with an entirely different level of confidence! In fact, when a child has been promised something, the child becomes bold, persistent and relentless.
It is one thing to ask God, “Will you please watch over and protect me?” It is quite another to pray, “God, you have promised to never leave me and, according to the promise of Psalm 91, you have appointed angels to guard over me; therefore, Lord I call upon your watchful care and trust in your divine protection this day.”
It is one thing to ask God, “Will you please provide for me?” It is quite another to pray: “God, your Word assures me that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without your permission, and I am worth far more than a sparrow. You are the Giver of every good gift and so I trust you to provide all I need by your unquenchable grace. Pour out your provision as you have promised!”
Think of the difference of the fleshly sort of prayer that says, “Lord, I’m so worried about all that I’ve lost in recent years, will you please help me get back on my feet” versus the Spirit-filled, Word of God prayer that says, “Lord, you are a restorer! As you spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to the exiles, I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion his dwellings, the city will be rebuilt on its ruins and the palace will stand in its proper place. God, restore us- pour out your heart of compassion upon our dwellings, rebuild our lives atop the rubble of a post-pandemic world, give us a new better view and perspective and establish right governing in our midst. For you have plans for us, not to harm us but to give us a future and a hope.”
Can you sense the difference? A promise returned to God lays hold of God’s unsearchable kindness and enduring integrity. A promise appeals to the very heart and nature of God. A promise that has been breathed out by God is full of His Spirit so when we pray it back to Him, Spirit calls unto Spirit.
Let It Be Unto Me According to Your Word
I like to pray God’s Word because God’s promises are bigger than our best prayers.
He is able to do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think….” (Eph. 3:20)
We can’t think up prayer requests that are nearly as wondrous as what He already has in His heart toward us!
I think of the humble, Nazarene peasant girl who was visited by an archangel. Mary trembled under the glory of the announcement that she had found favor with God, would conceive a son supernaturally, and that He would reign forever. She asked Gabriel how it would happen, and he explained that the power of the Most High would overshadow her.
Mary thought about it for a moment and uttered one of the boldest prayers imaginable: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
“Let it be unto me according to your Word.” Let your great and precious promises come to pass in my life.
She didn’t necessarily understand the scope of the blessing that was coming, and she certainly didn’t understand why she had been chosen, but she said, “let it be to me according to your word.”
It’s a powerful way to pray. Look at any promise in God’s Word—event the grandest promises, and pray: Lord, this is your Word. This is your promise. I probably couldn’t have dreamed up such a great request, but since you’ve promised it, let it be unto me according to your Word.
Any promise of God can become a prayer when you come into agreement with God as Mary did. For example,
Lord, I am feeling lonely, but you promised to never leave me or forsake me… let it be according to your Word.
Lord, the doctor’s report wasn’t good, but you have assured that all things are possible to you, and you have shown yourself to be a Healer, and have told me that it is by the stripes of Jesus that I am healed … let it be unto me according to your Word.
Lord, you have said if I resist the devil, he’ll eventually flee. You assured that you came to set the captives free. So, in this hour of spiritual battle and temptation, let it be unto me according to your Word.
David prayed in this manner when God gave the anointed king a breathtaking promise.
The Lord came to King David and issued an unsolicited promise that someone from David’s lineage would reign forever: “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever.” (2 Sam. 7:16)
David listened to all the promises of God and sat down before the Lord in utter humility, saying “Who am I, O Lord God, … that you have brought me thus far?” (2 Sam.7 :18). He recounted his unworthiness and the Lord’s greatness and then made his bold prayer:
“And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” 2 Samuel 7:28–29 (ESV)
In other words, David said, “I don’t deserve it. I can’t say I earned it. And I probably would never have asked for such an astonishing thing as this, but, Lord, since you brought it up, let it be just like you’ve said.”
Conclusion
Effective prayer is spiritual—it doesn’t originate in our sinful flesh’s desires or even in our minds as we try to think of what to ask of God. Powerful prayer is Spirit-filled, moved by something deeper than our own passions or thoughts. When Paul says to “pray in the spirit at all times”, I think he means, don’t ever bring petition and intercession to the throne of God’s grace that isn’t linked to the work of the Spirit. There is nothing more Spirit-infused in this world than the inspired Word of God. As you learn to pray the Word, you are discovering the power of praying in the Spirit! Everyone can pray God’s Word, so every Christian can pray with spiritual power!
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