What does it mean to “pray in the Holy Spirit?” (Jude 20)
Some truths need to be revived among the assemblies of God’s people. One such truth is in regard to the Holy Spirit. We know this is the day of salvation (2Cor 6:2, KJV). “Now is the day of salvation.” But this also is the Spirit’s day. Everything we do, if it is acceptable to God, is done by the presence and power of the Spirit of God. Our walk: “Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal 5:15, KJV). Our witness: “Ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me (Acts 1:8, KJV). Our worship: “We are the circumcision who worship God by the Spirit of God” (Phil 3:3, KJV). God is the source of our worship, Christ is the subject, the Spirit of God is the strength, and the sanctuary is the sphere.
Praying in the Holy Spirit is vitally important. It has been well said that we should make prayer the key of the morning, as well as the bolt of the evening. In the Acts we see the importance of prayer. We see prayer before ministry. “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4, KJV). In Acts 9 we see prayer before preaching; and in Acts 16 we see prayer before praise.
It is important to see the Godhead linked with prayer. Through Him, that is Christ, we (both Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father (Eph 2:18). When we think of the Spirit, many things come to our mind: Conviction, Comfort, Counsel, and Control. In Romans 8:9 we are told the Spirit of God dwells in us. The thought is that He makes His home with us. In Romans 8:26 we are told two things: We know not how to pray as we ought (RV), and we know not what we should pray for as we ought. If the Spirit has His rightful place, the Spirit Himself will make intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. So praying in the Spirit means He has complete control of us.
