True Praying in the Holy Spirit

True Praying in the Holy Spirit
“The Prayer God Hears”
Romans 8:26-34

Wayne J. Edwards

According to the Apostle Paul, it is impossible for us to even want to pray, much less pray correctly, without the help of the Holy Spirit.

• Romans 8:26-27–“For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

The definition of a full and meaningful prayer life includes:

• Adoration–giving God the glory and honor due His holy name.
• Confession–cleansing our hearts of anything except God’s love, grace, and mercy.
• Thanksgiving–expressing our gratitude unto God for His forgiveness, His guidance, His deliverance, and His patience with us.
• Petition–bringing our requests unto God, according to the promises of His Word.
• Self-surrender–Yielding ourselves afresh and anew to the leadership and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Non of these are possible without the help of the Holy Spirit.

If our prayers are to be accepted by God, they must meet three conditions:

1. They must be for what we need–and only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us our True needs.

• We may pray for good health–God mad send us sickness to inspire others to pray for us, or even to take care of us.
• We may pray for deliverance–God may send us difficulty to teach us to trust in Him.
• We may pray for financial resources–God may take away what we have to teach us to depend upon Him.
• We may pray for temporal things or about temporal issues, but God wants us to focus on the spiritual and eternal issues.

2. They must be for what God has promised–and only the Holy Spirit can reveal those promises to us.

• God’s promises must always precede our prayer, for we have no right to pray for anything God has not promised.
• “Ignorance of god’s promises is a more fatal hindrance to prayer than even ignorance of our own needs.”–John Owen
• The work of the Holy Spirit is to show us God’s promises, and what is required of us to claim that promise.
• 1 John 5:14-15–“This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

3. They must FIRST bring glory to God–and only the Holy Spirit can inspire us to do that.

• James 4:3–“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss!”
• It is only when the Holy Spirit garners our wandering thoughts, and then fixes our eyes upon God, that we can engage in true prayer.
• True praying in the Holy Spirit is using the truths of God’s Word, and the lessons learned from our study of God’s Word as our daily  conversation with God.
• From our personal study of God’s Word, we learn”
  • God’s general will for everyone–2 Peter 3:9
  • God’s specific will for our lives–Acts 20:22
  • God’s ways are not our ways–Luke 10:4

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”  Matthew 6:6

• Pray the words of the Bible word for word–Psalm 23, Psalm 51, etc. https://christian.net/resources/the-top-most-powerful-prayers-in-the-bible/
• Personalize the Scriptures into a prayer–“Lord Jesus, I claim the completeness that is only available through YOU.  I pray that I will feel and be so whole that I will know I have all I need in You to live a full and holy life.”  Based on Colossians 2:10
• Sing a Bible Verse prayerfully–read several hymns and choruses as prayers of praise unto God.
• Pray through a topical study of the Bible–Topical Bible Study:An Easy How-To Guide to Get You Started: Think About Such Things.  Also Nave’s Topical Bible, Thompson’s Chain Reference Study Bible.
• Pray the prayers recorded in the Bible–Solomon, Hezekiah, Hannah, David, Jabez, Samson, Nehemiah, Asa, Jesus, etc.
• Pray the scriptures that describe your life situation–using the Topical Study Bible, search for the passages that deal with your personal situation, and then convert that passage into a prayer.
• In praying for your family, combine Psalm 121:8, Deuteronomy 28:7, and Philippians 4:19: “Lord, thank you for my family.  Imperfect though they are, I thank you that I know where I come from and where I belong.  Father, you know that the family unit is being attacked by the enemy of love.  But I pray that you will be their watchman.  Watch over them as they go about their daily lives.  I ask that you will protect them from danger.  Confuse the plans of the enemy which have been set to destroy them.  Remove those who rise up against  them in any way.  Cause them to run away from my family when they see your power at work in their lives.  Bless them and provide for all their needs, both earthly and heavenly.  In Jesus name, Amen.”In praying for your employment or your life’s calling, combine Daniel 6:3, Colossians 3:23, and 1 Timothy 4:12:  “Father in heaven, I thank you that you have called me to serve people some way.  I pray that you will give me the exceptional qualities like you gave to Daniel while he served in Babylon.  Allow me to stand out in my work for  your glory Lord.  Help that as you have given me this opportunity, I will honor you  by working with integrity, giving it my very best knowing that I work You and not for those who give me a paycheck.  Help that I will be faithful with the work that you have given me to do right now so that those you have allowed to supervise me will see and bless me with bigger opportunities.  Help me to be an example to those who I encounter through my work.  May they be able to confess that although I am young.  I bring value to the work that I do.  Thank you for shining through me in my work and thank you for hearing my prayer.  In Jesus name.  Amen”
• As you read a book, a passage, or even a verse, turn it into a prayer.
• Psalm 46:1–“Thank you, Lord, for being my refuge and strength, a very present help when I am in trouble.”
• Psalm 73:26–“My flesh and my heart may fail me, but I thank You, Lord, that You are the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”
• 2 Corinthians 12:10–“Lord, I thank You that your grace is sufficient for me, for Your strength is made perfect in weakness.  I will gladly boast in my weakness, that Your power, Lord, may rest upon me.”
• Psalm 143:8–“Lord, I thank You that You cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk today, for I lift up my soul to You.”
• Proverbs 3:6–“Lord, I thank You that You direct my paths because I acknowledge Your ways.”

So, as you are reading the Scriptures, ask yourself these questions:

• Is there a SIN to confess?  Does God’s Word make you aware of something you need to make right with God?
• Is there a PROMISE to claim?  There are more thank 7,000 promises in God’s Word.  Every promise has a premise!  Ask whether you’ve met all the conditions of the promise.
• Is there an ATTITUDE to change?  Is there something about which you need to think differently?
• Is there a  COMMAND to obey?  Is there a command you need to obey, no matter how you feel?
• Is there and EXAMPLE to follow?  Are there positive examples to follow or negative examples to avoid?
• Is there a PRAYER to pray?  You can know they will be answered because they’re in the Bible and in God’s will.
• Is there an ERROR to avoid?  It’s wise to learn from experience, and it’s even wiser to learn from the experience of others! We don’t have time to make all the mistakes ourselves.  So, what can you learn from the mistakes of those in Scripture?
• Is there a TRUTH to believe?  Often, we’ll read something in Scripture that we can’t do anything about.  We simply have to believe what it says about and take it by faith.
• Is there SOMETHING for which to praise God?  You can always find something in a passage you can be grateful to God for, like something God has protected you from or something God has done.

A personalization of 2 Corinthians. (Please read the letter first)

2 Corinthians 5:1-5–Father God, we praise you for the wonderful future that you have prepared for us through the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ.  We eagerly await the day when we will enter into your presence for all eternity with holy bodies untainted by sin.  Please help us to not lose heart when we face the many pressures, anxieties, and troubles of life in this fallen world.  Let us take great courage in the knowledge that you’ve given us the Holy Spirit to prepare our souls for our kingdom dwelling with you. Thank you for letting Jesus live in us.  It is in his name that we pray, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10–Father God, we praise you for using us to bring joy to your Son, Jesus Christ.  In the midst of all the struggles, pressures, and discouragement we face while in our frail, failing bodies, please continue transforming us into servants who are always of good courage.  Lead us by your Holy Spirit to find rest in the grand promises that you’ve revealed to us in your Word.  We confess that we are weak and that we need your help.  Prepare us for the day when you will judge an account of all our works and offenses.  Though we do not deserve your grace, we cannot even begin to express our gratitude for nailing our guilt and shame  upon the cross through your crucified Son.  Lord, we earnestly long to experience the moment when you will declare to us, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your master.”  Help us this week as we continue our walk of faith looking forward to the day when our faith will become sight.  It is in the name of Jesus that we pray, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:11-13–We praise you God for your infinite wisdom.  We know so little, and yet we are so grateful to serve the one who knows all things.  We confess that our hearts have been shattered by our sinful desires, and that we have tried to hide our shame from you.  Please forgive us for the ways we’ve slandered other people in our lives.  Our hearts are broken and we cannot save ourselves.  We thank you for knowing our own hearts better than we do.  We thank you for saving us through your Son, Jesus Christ.  We thank you for bringing our dead hearts to life through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Please guard our hearts from a critical spirit, and help us to not lose heart when we feel pressures leading us into doubt.  Renew our minds and give us confidence with the truth found in the words of the Bible.  It is in the name of Jesus Christ that I pray, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15–Father God, we praise you for the confidence you give our hearts through the love of your Son.  We look forward to the day when we will not pass from this world into condemnation, but instead will enter into your presence of everlasting celebration.  Father, we confess that we are tired of living for ourselves.  We thank you for sending Jesus to die in our place to deliver us from the misery of a self-centered life.  No matter what struggles, temptations, or tragedies we face this week, please help us not to lose heart.  Through the Holy Spirit, guard us from ever doubting  your great love for us.  Help us to remember the good news that you have made us your own and that you have forgiven our sins.
Lead us to live our lives for Christ’s sake at our workplaces, with our friends and families, and wherever else we may go this week.  We pray all this in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17–Father God, we praise you for making us new creations in Christ!  We are grateful for the good news that you do not regard us by our flesh.  We are thankful that unlike us, you know and judge us rightly by our hearts.  We are sorry for the ways that we have let our shallow, worldly judgements of others become barriers to our proclamation of your gospel.  Thank you for overcoming our weakness and partiality to bring life to our hearts through the Holy Spirit.  Please help us to see people more like you do so that we would grow in our boldness to share the gospel with others.  We pray all this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20–Father God, we thank you for reconciling us through Jesus Christ, and we praise you for choosing to make redeemed sinners like us your gospel ambassadors to this broken world.  Please continue to equip us and use us in your redemptive mission as you graciously bring peace to sinners.  Sanctify us for your glory as we confess, repent of, and remember the trespasses that we’ve committed against you.  Keep us all humble as week seek reconciliation with other people we’ve wronged.  Protect us with the Holy Spirit from our spirit of pride whenever we serve our families, our church, our coworkers, or strangers in need.  Though we don’t deserve your forgiveness, we praise you for the unfathomable love and grace that you demonstrate at the cross.  Please nourish our hearts daily this week with the words of the Bible and give us courage to proclaim your gospel boldly to all.  We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:21–Father God, we praise you for your perfect righteousness.  There is no fairer nor more merciful a judge than you, and we confess that we do not deserve your forgiveness for the sins we’ve committed.  Though we have wronged you, betrayed you, and hated you in so many ways, we thank you for the unbelievable gift of freedom from the power of sin in our lives.  Help us to always remember the cost of our freedom and to never forget how Jesus has dealt with our sins at the cross.  Help us to also grow in our awareness of the sins that taint our lives so that we would learn to hate our sins like you do.  Shine the light of your Holy Spirit into the dark places of our hearts so that we might better know and repent of our sins for your glory.  Thank you so much for reconciling us through the gospel to make us your righteous servants.  Use us to proclaim your good news boldly to others this week.  We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake, Amen.

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:10-11