The Spirit Helps us in our Prayer

One of the signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit is the desire to pray.  So set is our flesh against praying that the Helper's first task is to create in us even the basic desire to pray.  The Bible tells us that we do not know how to pray, but the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  Strangely, we really don't even know what to pray about until the Spirit begins to create a concern within us, spotlighting a need.

The Helper has to uncover for us the essence or kernel or what it is we really want.  Usually, the real issue is buried under emotional debris so that we cannot see it at first.  As the real issue begins to emerge in our (continued) prayer, we also begin to see the blockages---a desire to control, resentment, anger, etc. 

It's like going to a Counselor over a period of time and slowly allowing our deepest issues to emerge in a safe place. The difference is that when God allows the veil to be pulled back and we see clearly, He is standing there beside us -- The Paraclete*---to help us let go of those issues, to help us forgive, to set us free from the things that tie us in knots.

[* The word Paraclete, from the Greek, means One who is called beside---para/ caleo]

All around us are people caught in bondage, imprisoned in fear, hampered by illness.  Jesus longs to still be the Healer, as He was on earth; now, however, He chooses to wait on our prayers.  He desires that we be a part of His ministry.  As Mother Teresa said, Jesus has no hands but yours, no feet but yours.

When we begin to pray, if we are open and ask for the leading of the Holy Spirit in our prayer, He will often surprise us with the direction our prayer will take.  If we can imagine ourselves praying alongside and with Jesus ("in His Name'), we might be surprised at the difference in the way we pray.  We might be surprised also at the cleansing that takes place in our hearts and minds. 

Prayer changes us and re-orders our priorities.  Psalm 37: 4 says, Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  When our heart has been wounded, it is hard to know its deepest desire---it has been long buried.  But as we begin to spend time "delighting ourselves in the Lord," our hearts begin to soften and the real desires begin to emerge.  Only then can He grant our prayer.