How to Pray in the Spirit Part 4

Continuing in our series on How to pray in the Spirit Pauls says in Romans 8:26, “…but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Groaning which cannot be uttered-
In verse 26 the word groanings is the greek word, stenagmos which means heart murmurings. It is used in Acts 7:34, “…I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them.” As the Holy Spirit births prayer burdens in our heart we have a fervent desire to express these things eloquently in prayer in such a way as to be answered. However often we can’t put words to the burdens of our heart, and we really just groan in our spirit, but don’t feel as if we’re accomplishing much. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit takes the groanings of our heart and turns them into intelligible prayers that God answers.

There are many examples of men and women who were so burdened for something that they couldn’t do anything but groan in prayer, but God answered them. An Old Testament example of course would be Hannah, she was in so much agony, and groaning in prayer for a child that the priest thought she was drunk.

In more modern times the example of Daniel Nash is instructive. He was one of Charles Finney’s advance men, meaning he would enter a city several weeks or months before a meeting just to pray. Finney relates a story of His prayer,

“When I got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, “Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and two other men have been at my boarding house for the last three days, but they haven’t eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for three days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning. I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn’t know what to do. Would you please come see about them?” “No it isn’t necessary,” I replied. “They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.”

In his travail for souls, like a woman in labor, all that Daniel Nash could do was groan. It is interesting to note that after Nash died, Finney stopped holding meetings, and took a church the groaning prayer warrior that had helped bring thousands to Christ through his meetings was dead.

According to the will of God- The Bibles says in verse 27, “…he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” What this means is that the Holy Spirit and God the father our in constant communion. The Holy Spirit takes our feeble prayers which have an inability to produce results, and turns them into prayers that are according to the will of God. Why is this important you ask?

1 John 5:14-15 explains, “…this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Quite simply put the prayer that is according to God’s will is the prayer that He answers. So how do we know the will of God? Two ways, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God. This is why it is so essential to pray the word of God. When we claim one of the 7,000 promises of the Word of God in prayer, we are praying the will of God.

Likewise it is just as essential to incorporate the Spirit of God in prayer. Because He is God, He obviously knows what His will is. So instead of bringing the same prayer list you have been praying over for twenty years. Start asking God what should I pray for? When you pray for what He tells you, you will always have your prayer answered because it is the will of God. So now that we have seen the many benefits of praying in the Spirit, lets start doing it the results will be amazing.

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