Prayer Invites Holy Spirit

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.  Timothy 2:1-6 NASB

When we worship Him sincerely, with truth, with song, out loud and in our hearts, the content of our prayers become scriptural, we can ask according to His will, and He hears us!  

Remember, prayer involves an attitude of faith, persistence, and patience. And obedience. Don’t be discouraged with God’s timing, God always works in our best interest, His will be done, and when the Lord answers we must act on His word. 

1 Timothy 2:8 NASB Therefore I want the people in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Holy Spirit thank You for the insight - the knowledge - that prayer and worship are woven together - We are designed to worship God. If we want to change our environment and our attitude, start praising God throughout the day.  

ALL DAY!  Praise His perfect character; His creative power; His inherent worth; His goodness; and everything about Him! 

In as much as we have a living ongoing conversation with God in prayer, God inhabits the praises of His people.

Because praising God, even when we least feel like it, means the most to Him.

We must enter His presence, focused exclusively on Him, and wholeheartedly pray to the Lord, express our appreciation for all He is! Praise Him for creating and being in charge of the world; praise Him for loving us and redeeming us;  my friends we will begin to see Holy Spirit grow the fruit of refreshed perspective and gratitude in our burdened hearts! 

Malachi 3:2 NET Who can endure the day of His coming? Who can keep standing when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.

The truth is, we can’t do this life ourselves! God is a refining fire, a cleansing influence—but we must repent honestly for Him to be able to change us. If you’re feeling convicted about your sin, don’t feel hopeless about it; rather, be glad we still get to invite Holy Spirit within, be grateful that because of His presence we are still sensitive and responsive to God. 

Psalms 3:3-4 NET But You, LORD, are a shield that protects me; You are my glory and the One who restores me. To the LORD I cried out, and He answered me from His holy hill. 

Having come before the Lord with praise and prayer, admitting sins, our hearts are ready to bring needs of others, concerns, and requests to Him. God’s mercy and favor is ours when we belong to Christ. As we live in close relationship with Him, the desires conceived within us are purposes He can fulfill! 

Always ask with a humbled heart of yielding to His will - know and declare that Jesus Christ is our risen Saviour! Be confident in that truth!

He is writing our story. And like worship and prayer those stories are woven together. Keep your mind open, your eyes on Jesus Christ - the horizon/ and stay sensitive to how He’s leading you.

Look for His signs, listen to Holy Spirit, prayerfully evaluate everything, cultivate a habit of instantly turning every reaction and response over to God, reject all feedback that breeds doubt, and expectantly ask God for wisdom.  

That also means - we must relinquish our comfort of control - Don’t try to dictate to God how He needs to answer our prayers. Simply pray for what is needed, expect it, and accept it with thanks in whatever form He sends it to us. 

A beautiful piece of prayer life is the ability to pray for another - God is searching for people of faith who are willing to plead on the behalf of others for the mercy of God. Holy Spirit points out all sorts of moments in our daily walk - moments where we are to pause in our own journey and pray over someone he places on our path.

Are you “standing in the gap” for someone today? Be encouraged. Your prayers for others will move God and He will come through. 

Our closest earthly relationships tend to occupy a large part of our prayer requests, and rightly so. As we pray for our family and close friends, we should remember to follow God’s instructions confidently, faithfully, and patiently,…. as He teaches in Ephesians 6:18 NASB With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.

The Lord also teaches us to also pray for our nation’s leaders, local authorities, as we pray for our country, we have God’s promise from 2 Chronicles 7:14 CSB and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

God controls the destinies of nations, and that knowledge gives us confidence that our prayers make a difference in this world.   Another group of people we are to pray for is those who do not know Christ yet. When we pray for the stranded as well as fellow believers we are praying according to God’s will as read in Ephesians 3:15-19 CSB from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through Holy Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

If we are willing to invite God to involve Himself in our daily living, we will experience His power in our home, our relationships, our career, wherever it’s needed, however He wills it. Prayer invites God into the situation, He is always with us, waiting for us to seek Him and then welcoming us when we do.