Evening
Time: 11:07 PM PST
"Praying in the Holy Ghost." --Jude 20
Mark the grand characteristic of true prayer--"In the Holy Ghost." The
seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven's storehouse. Only the prayer
which comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrows back to Him.
That desire which He writes upon our heart will move His heart and bring down a
blessing, but the desires of the flesh have no power with Him.
Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the
Lord not to hear them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all.
As well speak of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer--it is essential that it be
red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as
he proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the
gate is closed, the more vehemently does he use the knocker, and the longer the
angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will never let him go without the
blessing. Beautiful in God's sight is tearful, agonizing, unconquerable
importunity. It means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us
up with pride. It is His office to convince of sin, and so to bow us down in
contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never sing Gloria in
excelsis except we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must
we cry, or we shall never behold glory in the highest. It is loving
prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love--love to our
fellow saints, and love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer full of
faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author
of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God's promise. O that
this blessed combination of excellent graces, priceless and sweet as the spices
of the merchant, might be fragrant within us because the Holy Ghost is in our
hearts! Most blessed Comforter, exert Thy mighty power within us, helping our
infirmities in prayer.