Prayer Summary for June 20

Shared…

The following excerpt is taken from The Classic Collection on Prayer by E.M. Bounds:

The Holy Spirit: Our Helper in Prayer

We must pray in the Spirit, in the Holy Ghost, if we would pray at all. Lay this, I beseech you, to heart. Do not address yourselves to prayer as to a work to be accomplished in your own natural strength. It is a work of God, of God the Holy Ghost, a work of His in you and by you, and in which you must be fellow-workers with Him – but His work notwithstanding. (Archbishop Trench)

One of the revelations of the New Testament concerning the Holy Spirit is that He is our helper in prayer. So we have in the following incident in our Lord’s life the close connection between the Holy Spirit’s work and prayer:

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Here we have revelations of what God is to us. Only the child’s heart can know the Father, and only the child’s heart can reveal the Father. It is only by prayer that all things are delivered to us by the Father through the Son. It is only by prayer that all things are revealed to us by the Father and by the Son. It is only in prayer that the Father gives himself to us, which is much more in every way than all other things whatsoever.

The Revised Version reads: “At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit.” This sets forth that great truth not generally known, or if known, ignored, that Jesus Christ was generally led by the Holy Spirit, and that His joy and His praying, as well as His working, and His life, were under the inspiration, law, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit Helps Us

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.

This text is most significant and vital, and it needs to be quoted. Patience, hope and waiting help us in prayer. But the greatest and the most divine of all helpers is the Holy Spirit. He takes hold of things for us. We are dark and confused, ignorant and weak in many things – in fact, in everything pertaining to the heavenly life, especially in the simple service of prayer. There is an ought on us, an obligation, a necessity to pray, a spiritual necessity upon us of the most absolute and imperative kind. But we do not feel the obligation and have no ability to meet it. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, gives wisdom to our ignorance, turns ignorance into wisdom, and changes our weakness into strength. The Spirit himself does this. He helps and takes hold with us as we tug and toil. He adds His wisdom to our ignorance, gives His strength to our weakness. He pleads for us and in us. He quickens, illumines, and inspires our prayers. He composes and elevates the matter of our prayers and inspires the words and feelings of our prayers. He works mightily in us so that we can pray mightily. He enables us to pray always and ever according to the will of God.

In John’s first epistle, we have these words:

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

That which gives us boldness and so much freedom and fullness of approach toward God, the fact and basis of that boldness and liberty of approach, is that we are asking, “…according to His will.” This does not mean submission, but conformity. “According to” means after the standard, conformity, agreement. We have boldness and all freedom of access to God because we are praying in conformity to His will. God records His general will in His Word, but He has this special work in praying for us to do. His things are prepared for us, as the prophet says, “…that waiteth for him.” How can we know the will of God in our praying? What are the things that God designs especially for us to do and pray? The Holy Spirit reveals them to us perpetually.

Prayed…

Father, we thank You for this day, and no matter what we are facing, You are with us
Fill us with Your presence today, Lord
Thank You, that You have called us to be co-laborers with You
Holy Spirit, You are revealing the things of the Father to us, perpetually
Even though our minds are limited, You have called the Holy Spirit to be with us at all times
You are empowering us to do and to pray all that You have called us to, Lord
Thank You that Your Spirit is like a mighty river, and it will never run out!
Your Spirit is continually flowing in and through us, Your Spirit is always flowing and working
We thank You for all that You have done, all that You are doing, and all that You will continue to do
Yes, we will go with You wherever You will go, and we will work with You
Holy Spirit, we thank You that You engage us in a conversation with You
Father, You gave so that we could receive, and we receive from You, Lord!
We glorify the mighty name of Jesus today
You are continually revealing the things of the Father, and Your Word to us
Those things are being deposited deep into our innermost being
You are filling us with Your goodness and Your mercy until we are overflowing
Thank You that Your Holy Spirit is a continual river that can never run out!
Despite our limitations on what we think and how we feel, You are filling us!
There is always a supply waiting for us, and we receive all that You have for us, Father
We receive, so that we can give back out what You have given to us
Lord, You want us to share all things with You, so we open up our hearts to You, today!
Give us eyes to see the power of Your Holy Spirit
Thank You that Your Spirit is our helper, our comforter, and our everything!
As Your people continue to ask, seek, and to knock, reveal Yourself to them, Father
What You have said in Your Word is true, it never fails, and it is always refreshing!
Thank You for what You are doing today, Lord
We call for those that are hungry to be satisfied!
Draw in those people to this place, who don’t know You, Father
That those who are lost would be found, thank You that Your goodness is ever flowing!
Your river isn’t just for us, but it is for those who don’t know they need a river!
Your river is for those who need a refreshing, and for those that need a drink of living waters!
It is for those that are hungry, Lord
Father, Your well will never run dry
Thank You that Jesus dug the well, once and forever!
That water is always flowing, it is always available!
Jesus has never and will never keep anyone from every coming to that well!
We are all qualified to come to that well; He has offered it to all people!
Thank You that Your Holy Spirit can do things that our minds don’t think are possible!
All things are possible in and through You, Lord
Holy Spirit, thank You for working out those areas in our hearts where we may feel dry
You are revealing those things to us, so that we can have greater intimacy with You
Yes, Lord, You are patient and You are perpetually persistent for us
We always go in overflow, things of the Spirit, go, go, go in overflow
Holy Spirit, You are working within us, and we are going in overflow
Joy, joy, joy, rest, rest!
We rest in You, and in You alone, Father

Mike shared a vision he had…

I got visual from the Holy Spirit. The picture in my mind is that of a lazy river. The lazy river might be going a little bit fast or a little bit slow, but it is designed to flow in a circle in a certain direction. And it keeps going around and around. And when you are in there, no one is ever complaining that this is too hard. You are just sitting on an inner tube, just floating around, and it’s fun and relaxing. And if you want to get out and you start going against the flow, it starts to get really hard because people are coming at you. You have to start fighting the current. But how much fun and refreshing is it to just get in, and go with the flow. We just flow with it, like we flow with the Spirit. Jesus gave us examples that the people in His day could relate to. This is the natural application and this is the supernatural application, the spiritual side of what it means. And it really helps the people to connect to what He means. I love that He gave examples. Sometimes at a first read it might be confusing, but they are really simple. And I love how God and the Holy Spirit can work with us; He knows what we are going through. He knows the joys and He knows the struggles, but in all of it, the Holy Spirit keeps going, and keeps going. And all we need to do is jump in and be like children.

Continued Praying…

Father, thank You for never, ever giving up on us
You love seeing Your children jump into the things that You have prepared for each of us
We will enjoy them, because You enjoy us
Thank You that Your Holy Spirit was given to us to flow in us, through us and around us
You are so good, and Your promises are so wonderful
No, Father, there is no end to You!
No end to Your joy, no end to Your love, and no end to Your restoration!
No end to Your grace, and there is no end to Your faithfulness!
Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You never stop flowing, You are continually and constantly flowing
Father, thank You that even when things seem that they have stopped flowing on the surface the Holy Spirit is always flowing!
Continue to reveal Yourself to us and to Your body, Lord
Your promises, Your love, Your grace, and Your mercy are always there flowing, flowing, flowing!
We will continue to seek, ask, and knock, and we know how much You love to answer and open things for us
Father, we come to You like a little child and we receive from You
You do not require anything from us, but You want us to come to You in all things!
Freely You give, and freely we receive!
Holy Spirit, we give You the freedom to come and work in and through us
Thank You that Your Holy Spirit continues to minister to us, where we are at
Father, show us how to receive; You paid the ultimate sacrifice to give!
We as Your children would go back to being as children and receive, and receive, and receive
As we receive, we have more to give!
Thank You for this time together to receive from Your Holy Spirit
You have a river that is always flowing, and we will continually take in and give out
Father, You never run out of things to give us, and You show us how to continually receive from You
The highest honor that we can give to someone that has something for us, is to receive it
You love us so much that You gave, so we give You the highest honor, and we receive what You gave

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