Praying to Holy Spirit, Our Guide
I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:16-17).
These prepositions, “in” and “with”, are significant. Jesus was not waxing poetic. He was being instructive.
- “In” means the Holy Spirit dwells in the spirits of all who believe in Jesus Christ. When we were born again, the Father sent the Holy Spirit to live in us as the earnest of our inheritance.
- “With” means that He is not a passive passenger through your life. He is engaged as much as we allow Him to be. He is the Power of God in residence. We can through our inhibitions restrict His activity in and through us. Conversely, through stepping aside we can watch his power manifest the ministry gifts and office He wants active in our lives.
That means we have to give over control and let Him do what He wants. That’s scary. He is like a powerful wild horse; He can run away with us. But he will never buck us off. He will do far more in and through us than we can imagine, more than we are comfortable with, but far more effective in glorifying God than we could ever do by our inhibited selves.
As we pray, lets tune in to the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to direct our prayers. Let’s release His power to make our prayers effectual and fervent, ascending to God and gladdening His Father’s heart.
Order of Prayers
First, share your concerns, prayer requests, praise reports and offerings of thanks for God’s blessings.
Next, we will pray to release the Holy Spirit, so each one will pray in the power and love of the Spirit for us and those we pray for.
Opening Prayer
Jesus, You taught us to pray. First You set the example of praying fervently to Your Father. You prayed often and long. You taught us that those who worship must worship in Spirit and in truth. So, now we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and release Him to pray through us.
Prayers of God’s People
Pray as you feel led by the Holy Spirit to pray
Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus you sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and we acknowledge His ministry among us. Lead us in our prayer life to acknowledge the blessing of the Holy Spirit assisting our prayers.
We offer the prayer that You taught us, Lord Jesus, saying:
The Lord’s Prayer
Praying for the Church
Author: Steve Gammon, Conference Minister
One of the most important things any of us can do for our churches is to pray for them. When Paul wrote to the churches the things dearest on his heart, he often focused on prayer.
Prayers of Thanksgiving
In Colossians 1, for example, there are wonderful lessons on how to pray for the church. In verses 4-7 Paul begins with prayers of thanksgiving. Let me encourage you to join me in praying such prayers of thanksgiving for the faith of God’s people, for their love, and hope, for their response to the gospel that still goes out, and for faithful ministry leaders like Epaphras.
Prayers of Petitions
Then in verses 9-14 Paul presents a list of petitions for which he unceasingly prays for the church—for the knowledge of His will, for spiritual wisdom and understanding, for lives lived “worthy of the Lord”, for bearing fruit in every good work, for growth in the knowledge of God, for strength and power, for great endurance and patience, for joyful thanksgiving to the Father, that they might know that God has qualified them and has already rescued them from the dominion of darkness, that they might know that God has brought them into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, and that they might truly believe in the redemption and forgiveness of sins that is theirs in Christ Jesus!
Paul not only longed for these things for the church! He fervently prayed for them! I want you to know that I am praying for you! And I urge you all to be praying for the church!
