Are You Aware of Our need of the Spirit's Help with Prayer?

Tip! Prayer opens the door for salvation. (Act 2:42) "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers".

We are benefiting from the Holy Scriptures when we are made conscious of our need of the Spirit's help in prayer. First, that the Holy Spirit may make known to us our real wants. Take, for example, our temporal needs. How often we are in some external difficulties, trouble or problems, things that are not our fault are pressing hard on us, and we long to be delivered from these trials and struggles. Surely here we "know" ourselves what to pray for, right? No, indeed; far from it!

The truth is that, despite our natural desire for relief, we are so ignorant and so dull is our discernment, that (even where there is an exercised conscience) we do not know what submission to His good pleasure that God our Father may be requiring from us as His children. Or He has approved these afflictions and difficulties for our inward good and spiritual growth.

So for this reason, God calls the prayers of most who are looking for relief from these external trials "howlings," and not a crying unto Him with the heart (see this for yourself in Hosea 7:14). Then in Ecclesiastes 6:12 we read, "For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?" Ah, heavenly wisdom is needed to teach us our temporal "needs" so as to make them a matter of prayer according to the mind of God.

Then secondly perhaps a few words are needed here to add to what has just been said. Temporal things may be scripturally prayed for according to what Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread" and in other places in the Holy Bible, but with this comes a threefold limitation.

Tip! A person's character is always demonstrated in their behavior. The Savior again said,"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good ..." -- Luke 6:45

1. First, incidentally and not primarily, for they are not the things which Christians are mainly concerned in Matthew 6:33 we read "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." It is heavenly and eternal things (Colossians 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.) which are to be sought first and foremost, as being of far greater importance and value than temporal things.

2. Second, subordinately, as a means to an end. In seeking material things from God it should not be in order that we may be gratified, but as an aid to our pleasing Him better. I am learning that everything I need to do God's will has been given to me when I have been lead by the Holy Spirit to pray for it. I have prayed for things that I did not understand why I needed them, but all in God's good time they were needed for His good pleasure.

Tip! Praise and thanksgiving - This is the earnest, heartfelt prayer where we come before the Lord thanking and praising him for his mighty power and love. We may praise him in both our earthly and spiritual language.

3. Third, submissively, not dictatorially, for that would be the sin of presumption. Moreover, we do not know whether any temporal gift would really contribute to our highest good (Psalms 106:15 "And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul."), and therefore we must leave it with God to decide.

We all have inward wants as well as outward needs. Some of these may be discerned in the light of conscience, such as the guilt and defilement of sin, of sins against light and nature and the plain letter of the law. Nevertheless, the knowledge which we have of ourselves by means of the conscience is so dark and confused that, apart from the Holy Spirit, we are in no way able to discover the true fountain of cleansing.

The things that believers do and ought to consider first and foremost with God in their prayers are the inward frames and the spiritual character of their souls. Accordingly, David was not satisfied with the confessing of all his known transgressions and original sins (Psalms 51:1-5), nor was he satisfied with the acknowledgment that none could understand his errors, as a result he desired to be cleansed from his "secret faults" (Psalms 19:12). King David also begged God to carry out an inward searching of his heart to find out what was wrong in him (Psalms 139:23, 24), knowing that God principally requires "truth in the inward parts" (Psalms 51:6). Consequently, in view of I Corinthians 2: 10-12, we should definitely seek the Holy Spirit's aid that we may pray acceptably to God.