Cindy and I are very different from each other. Those of you who know us are probably saying, “Amen to that!” But we both love Jesus and we both pray. We approach prayer from 2 different directions. My natural tendency is to use the Bible as my jumping-off place; I like to pray scripture. Cindy’s natural tendency is to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide her prayers. We each gravitate either toward the Word or to the Spirit.
I want to talk about how these two approaches join together to help make prayer everything that it should be. And I’ll start by admitting that sometimes I have trouble focusing on prayer. My mind wanders off somewhere and I just can’t find it. I have learned that the best way for me to overcome this is to read the Psalms… they perk me up; they charge my battery; they jump start me.
The other morning it seemed impossible for me to pray, I just wasn’t connecting with God. But then, as I was led to Psalm 143, I found verses 1 and 8 standing out as if they were in neon lights. They said I wanted to say, but wasn’t able to say.
They say this:
O LORD, hear my prayer,
Listen to my cry for mercy;
In your faithfulness and righteousness
Come to my relief…
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love.
And then, as if that wasn’t just what I needed, God led me to verse 10: Teach me to do your will… May your good Spirit lead me.
In just these 3 verses, the Word in the Bible and the leading by Holy Spirit connected me right into the presence of the living God.
The faith lesson that I am learning is that God’s word combined with the Holy Spirit work together to bring my prayers to life. So my first question is, “What does the Word of God bring to prayer?” Here are a few thoughts…
WHAT THE WORD OF GOD BRINGS TO PRAYER:
The Word, the Bible, leads me to God’s will, so I can pray in accordance with it. As Bruce Wilkerson writes in his book, “Experiencing God”, he says we are to find out where God is working and join Him there. The Bible does exactly that. It helps me pray in accordance with God’s will. In a little more detail, it does this:
Example: 1
The Bible leads me to nourishment when I am hungry and thirsty. It uses words like seed (1 Peter:1:23), milk (1 Peter:2:2), honey (Psalm:19:10), and meat (Hebrews:5:12) to describe the way it nourishes me.
Example: 2
The Bible shows me the truth. When I’m not seeing things clearly, the Bible reflects God’s truth back to me like a mirror, according to James:1:23-25. When I am lazy or am praying in the wrong direction, Ecclesiastes:12:11 says the Word is like a prod that the Israelites used to poke their oxen to get them to go the right way. The Bible prods me and pushes me back on track. And, “Yes, I do act like an ox at times…”
Example: 3
The Bible gives me powerful tools that keep me in place exactly where God wants me to be. The Bible compares itself to a nail in Ecclesiastes:12:11. When I am fearful and need to be anchored, the Word ‘nails me down’ securely into God’s thoughts.
When I’m in an intercessory battle, God’s word is my sword. Ephesians:6:17.
When I’m against some obstacle, Jeremiah:23:29 says the Word is a hammer. It smashes my obstacle to pieces.
When I am not praying in accordance with God’s will, the Word is the standard I should be adhering to. It is God’s “Gold Standard”, as noted in Psalm:19:10.
Example:4
The Bible directs me toward cleanliness and purity. When I lived on a farm as a child, they made me take a bath once a week, even when I didn’t feel like it. They had to force me! When I become contaminated by the world and don’t feel like praying, God washes me with the water of the Word, according to Ephesians:5:26.
When my motives are polluted, the Word purifies me with fire, according to Jeremiah:23:29.
WHAT THE HOLY SPIRITBRINGS TO PRAYER:
What, then, does the Holy Spirit bring to me in my prayer time? Psalm 143:10, tells me that the Holy Spirit leads me. Where does the Spirit lead me?
1. Leads me to prayer.
According to Romans 8:26,27, the Holy Spirit leads me to pray even when I don’t know what to say. The Spirit also:
2. Leads me to the presence of God.
When I feel far from God, I know the Spirit leads me into God’s presence. Ephesians 2:18 says: “We…have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
3. Leads me to a secure place.
When I am insecure and feeling unworthy, the Holy Spirit confirms that I am truly God’s child. Romans:8:16 says: “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” That’s a secure place for me.
4. Leads me to strength.
When I am weary, I ask God for strength through His Spirit. This is promised in Ephesians:3:16… “Strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being.”
5. Leads me to purity and obedience.
When I struggle with sin and my heart becomes hardened toward prayer, I ask the Holy Spirit to overcome my disobedience by His power. Romans: 8:13, says: “If by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
6. Leads me to instruction and revelation.
When I don’t know what to pray, I quiet myself and listen to the Spirit’s instructions. 1 Corinthians:2:10 says this: “God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.”
7. Leads me to faith.
When my faith wavers, I trust in Jude 20… Dear friends, Build yourself up in your most holy faith And pray in the Holy Spirit. I ask the Spirit to come into my heart and strengthen my faith.
8. Leads me to encouragement.
When I wrestle with negativity or spiritual dryness, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill my life with praise and gratitude, as Ephesians:5:18-19 says I am to do:
“Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.”
Instead of trying to find the exact verse that I think would make my prayer more effective, I have learned to pause and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. I am learning that a prayer from a heart of faith can be accurate and powerful.
When I was traveling in India, I often prayed for safely and often looked up many Bible verses about it. One day my concern about safety was settled for good when the Holy Spirit prompted me to read Psalm:105:13-14, which says: They wandered from nation to nation… He allowed no one to oppose them.
From then on, I prayed this verse each time I went anywhere and was comforted. The Spirit worked together with the Word and the connection removed my fear.
What a blessing that we are not on our own when we pray. The Lord wants us to have such a close and loving relationship with Him that He gives us two resources to make our prayers more alive, more authentic, and more accurate. One resource is the Bible filled with the eternal thoughts of God, who loves us. The other resource is the Holy Spirit who lives within us and loves to make us fruitful.
With that combination, we can’t remain out of touch from God.
By: Pastor John Pendleton
Pastor Pendleton is the Mentor of Pastor Reuben and both of them are very close friends in the love of Jesus Christ.
