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Morning and Evening

October 8, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"Praying in the Holy Ghost." — Jude 1:20 · KJV

Mark the grand mark of true prayer: "in the Holy Spirit." The seed of acceptable devotion must come from heaven's storehouse; only the prayer that comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrows back to Him. The desire He writes on 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 Spirit is praying with fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord not to hear them; those who do not plead with fervency do not plead at all. You might as well speak of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer — it must be red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he goes, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer; the longer the gate stays shut, the harder he uses the knocker, and the longer the angel lingers, the more resolved he is never to 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 us of sin, and so bow us down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never sing "Glory in the highest" unless we pray "out of the depths"; out of the depths we must 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. It must also be prayer full of faith, for 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. Oh, that this blessed combination of excellent graces — priceless and sweet as the merchant's spices — might be fragrant within us, because the Holy Spirit is in our hearts! Most blessed Comforter, exert Your mighty power within us, helping our weakness in prayer.