30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 18 1-8 Persistent prayer of faith 03 The heart of God
📖 Luke 18:1-8
30Aug2020 - *The heart of God* - _Luke 18:1-8_ - Persistent prayer of faith 3 – Bible reading: _Romans 8:26-27_
_Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,_
Let us continue to feast on this glorious understanding that it is the Holy Spirit, who takes from the heart of God and brings the concerns of God into our mind so that we are able to pray according to the will of God. How can we, therefore, continue to pray in the flesh and not pray in the Holy Spirit? Shouldn’t we commit ourselves, this very moment, to always pray, from now on, in the Spirit?
_I Corinthians 2:10-11 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (11) For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints._
_Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (27) Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
The Holy Spirit not only reveals to us the mind of God, but He also prays from within us with groanings that cannot be uttered. This implies that we need to be yielded to the Holy Spirit for Him to pray from within us. The Holy Spirit is, in reality, interceding for us to God.
Let us look at the prayer life of Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit prayed through him. Paul’s prayer came from the deep concern that he had for the churches. _II Corinthians 11:28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. (Romans 1:9; Ephesians 1:16; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:3; I Thessalonians 1:2; II Thessalonians 1:3)_
He also prayed for individuals. _II Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, Philemon 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,_
We also have several examples as to the substance of the prayer that Paul prayed. Let us look at a couple of them. (1) _Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, (10) that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, (11) being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God._
(2) Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; (12) giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light._
As we look at these prayers that Paul prayed for the churches, we can see the heart or desire of God, that the Holy Spirit was praying, through Paul, for different churches.
As we look at the substance of these prayers, we see that the need for each church is different. If we were praying for the churches, instead of Paul, what would be the substance of our prayer? Would it not be more generic and broader-based? The challenge for us is that we have much to learn about praying in the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit will not be praying generic but specific prayers.
The other glaring component in these prayers is the absence of praying for materialistic and temporal needs. In comparison, the substance of our prayers that we pray for each other is usually for specific needs, which are materialistic and temporal in nature.
Are we willing to acknowledge that there is much for us to learn about praying and for us to ask the Holy Spirit to teach and enable us to pray according to the mind of God?
*Thought to ponder*
```God’s heart longs that we will learn to pray as we ought.```