HOW
TO PRAY
R.
A. TORREY
CHAPTER
V
PRAYING
IN THE SPIRIT
1.
Over and over again in what has already been said, we have seen our dependence
upon the Holy Spirit in prayer. This comes out very definitely in Eph. 6:18,
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT," and
in Jude 20, "Praying IN THE HOLY GHOST." Indeed the whole secret of
prayer is found in these three words, "in the Spirit." It is the
prayer that God the Holy Spirit inspires that God the Father answers.
The
disciples did not know how to pray as they ought, so they came to Jesus and said,"Lord teach us to pray." We know not how to
pray as we ought, but we have another Teacher and Guide right at hand to help
us (John 14:16,17), "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity" (Rom. 8:26, R.V.). He teaches
us how to pray. True prayer is prayer in the Spirit; that is, the prayer the
Spirit inspires and directs. When we come into God's presence we should
recognize "our infirmity,"our ignorance of
what we should pray for or how we should pray for it, and in the consciousness
of our utter inability to pray aright we should look up to the Holy Spirit,
casting ourselves utterly upon Him to our prayers, to lead out our desires and to guide our utterance of them.
Nothing
can be more foolish in prayer than to rush heedlessly into God's presence, and
ask the first thing that comes into our mind, or that some thoughtless friend
has asked us to pray for. When we first come into God's presence we should be
silent before Him. We should look up to Him to send His Holy Spirit to teach us
how to pray. We must wait for the Holy Spirit, and surrender ourselves to the
Spirit, then we shall pray aright.
Oftentimes
when we come to God in prayer, we do not feel like praying. What shall one do
in such a case? cease praying until he does feel like
it? Not at all. When we feel least like praying is the
time when we most need to pray. We should wait quietly before God and tell Him
how cold and prayerless our hearts are, and look up
to Him and trust Him and expect Him to send the Holy Spirit to warm our hearts
and draw them out in prayer. It will not be long before the glow of the
Spirit's presence will fill our hearts, and we will begin to pray with freedom,
directness, earnestness and power. Many of the most blessed seasons of prayer I
have ever known have begun with a feeling of utter deadness and prayerlessness, but in my helplessness and
coldness I have cast myself upon God, and looked to Him to send His Holy Spirit
to teach me to pray, and He has done it.
When
we pray in the Spirit, we will pray for the right things and in the right way.
There will be joy and power in our prayer.