The concept of prayer is a mystery that the finite minds of man have, at least in my opinion, difficultly grasping.  Prayer is seen throughout the entirety of the Bible, and thus there are many avenues in which prayer could be understood.  Within this article the role of the Holy Spirit in the prayers of believers will be briefly examined.

Within the New Testament prayer and the Holy Spirit are connected in two aspects.  One is that we are commanded to pray in the Spirit, and secondly, we are told that the Spirit of God that is within us prays for us.  The former teaching leaves one asking the question: how do I pray in the Holy Spirit, or is it possible to pray to God yet not in the Holy Spirit?  The latter teaching on prayer leaves one pondering at the mystery that the Spirit within us, knowing what’s really important (no, we don’t always know), prays for us with “groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26).

In Ephesians 6:18 Paul commands believers to “pray at all times in the Spirit.”  Ok, pray at all times.  Now that I know that, problem solved, right?  No!  Seemingly, it is not enough just to lift our voice to God and say _______.  We must do it in a certain way, and the way prescribed is in the Spirit.  Does this mean we need to go into some delusional trance or speak in tongues in order to pray?  Moreover, note the quantity of prayer that should be “in the Spirit.”  Paul says pray at “all times” this way, which would leave one properly to conclude that Paul does not envision any form of true prayer that could be not in the Spirit.  It is not pray some times in the Spirit and other times just normally, it is pray “all times” this way (which would quickly dismiss the idea of tongues in this passage).

Putting theology in a “how to” form is highly inadequate, because there is so much at work apart from what we do.  Yet, in summary, we are two pray in two ways: we are to pray that the Spirit is the power of our prayer; and secondly, that the Spirit is the One who guides our prayer.  But again, that only presses the question because both of those elements are works of the Spirit!  How do we work the works of the Spirit?  Romans 8:26 sheds some light.  The Spirit is said to help us in our weaknesses, praying for us.  Prayer must be understood as an act of faith relying on the Spirit to empower us to pray as we should (see Philippians 3:3, where worshiping in the Spirit is contrasted with trusting in the flesh).  Secondly, how does the Spirit guide our prayers?  Our prayers are guided by the Spirit when we pray, essentially, what the Spirit would pray; and what the Spirit would pray is revealed in the God breathed Word.  We are to be so engulfed, saturated, and overflowing with the word of God that our prayers are naturally biblical Spirit prayers.

The concept of the Spirit praying for us is intriguing (Romans 8:26).  We, being finite and weak, do not always know how to pray (i.e., to God’s glory), and thus the Spirit prays on our behalf knowing the perfect will of God.  Yet, how do we know if our own prayers are in the Spirit?  To answer, one must consider what the role of the Spirit is.  John tells us that the Spirit will glorify Christ (16:14).  Thus, when one considers the content of their prayers, the extent to which they concern the glory of Christ and Him being magnified is the measure, I would say, of those prayers being empowered and guided by the Spirit, thus in the Spirit.  Trust the Spirit to empower and be filled with the Word to be guided.

Will Uminn, Kevin Farmer, Phil Meade, Dana Arledge