Praying in the holy ghost - Chambers, Oswald

Chapter VII

Praying in the holy ghost. Jude 20

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. Ephesians 6:18

Praying in the holy ghost means the power given to us by god to maintain a simple relationship to jesus christ, and it is most difficult to realise this simple relationship in the matter of prayer.

Prayer pervaded by pentecost

We have to pray relying upon what has been revealed by the sent-down holy ghost, and the first revelation is that we do not know how to pray (see romans 8:26). We have to learn to draw on our relationship to jesus christ, and as we do, we realise that the holy ghost keeps us in simple relationship to our lord while we pray. When we pray in the holy ghost we are released from our petitions. Your father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Then why ask? The whole meaning of prayer is that we may know god. The asking and receiving prayer is elementary, it is the part of prayer we can understand, but it is not necessarily praying in the holy ghost. Those who are not born again must ask and receive; but when we have received and have become rightly related to god, we must maintain this simplicity of belief in him, while we pray, our minds must be saturated by the pentecostal revelation of prayer until we learn in every detail to pray in the holy ghost. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life.

Peculiar sense of need

A great many people do not pray because they do not feel any sense of need. The sign that the holy ghost is

In us is that we realise, not that we are full, but that we are empty, there is a sense of absolute need. We come across people who try us, circumstances that are difficult, conditions that are perplexing, and all these things awaken a dumb sense of need, which is a sign that the holy ghost is there. If we are ever free from the sense of need, it is not because the holy ghost has satisfied us, but because we have been satisfied with as much as we have. A mans reach should exceed his grasp. A sense of need is one of the greatest benedictions because it keeps our life rightly related to jesus christ.

Permeating sense of restraint

When we learn to pray in the holy ghost, we find there are some things for which we cannot pray, there is a sense of restraint. Never push and say, i know it is gods will and i am going to stick to it. Beware, remember what is recorded of the children of israel: he gave them their request; but sent lean- ness into their soul (psalm 106:15). Let the spirit of god teach you what he is driving at and learn not to grieve him. If we are abiding in jesus christ we shall ask what he wants us to ask, whether we are conscious of doing so or not (see john 15:7).

Profound sense of christs work

When we pray relying on the holy ghost, he will always bring us back to this one point, that we are not heard because we are in earnest, or because we need to be heard, or because we will perish if we are not heard; we are heard only on the ground of the atone- ment of our lord (see hebrews 10:19). The efficacy of the atoning work of christ is the one thing that the holy ghost works into our under- standing, and as he interprets the meaning of that work to us we shall never bank on our own earnestness, or on our sense of need, nor shall we ever have the idea that god does not answer, we shall be so restfully certain that he always does. The holy ghost will continually interpret to us that the only ground of our approach to god is by the blood of jesus, and by no other way. As we learn the spiritual culture of praying in the holy ghost, we shall find that the common-sense circumstances god puts us in, and the common-sense people his provi- dence places us amongst, are used by him to enable us to realise that the one fundamental thing in prayer is the atoning work of jesus christ.

Apprehension of gods resources

When we pray in the holy ghost we begin to have a more intimate conception of god; the holy ghost brings all through us the sense of his resources. For instance, we may be called to a definite purpose for our life which the holy ghost reveals and we know that it means a decision, a reckless fling over on to god, a burning of our bridges behind us; and there is not a soul to advise us when we take that step saving the holy ghost. Our clingings come in this way we put one foot on gods side and one on the side of human reasoning; then god widens the space until we either drop down in between or jump on to one side or the other. We have to take a leap, a reckless leap, and if we have learned to rely on the holy ghost, it will be a reckless leap on to gods side. So many of us limit our praying because we are not reckless in our confidence in god. In the eyes of those who do not know god, it is madness to trust him, but when we pray in the holy ghost we begin to realise the resources of god, that he is our perfect heavenly father, and we are his children. Always keep an inner recollectedness that god is our father through the lord jesus christ.

Atmosphere for work

Praying in the holy ghost gives us a true insight into why paul said we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places. If the holy spirit is having his way in us, he will charge the atmosphere round about us. There are things that have to be cleared away by the holy ghost. Never fight; stand and wrestle. Wrestling is not fighting, it is closing with the antagonist on your own ground, and maintaining a steady, all-embracing stand and withstand. How many of us succumb to flesh and blood circumstancesi did not sleep well; or, i have indigestion; or, i did not do quite the right thing there. Never allow any of these things to be the reason to yourself why you are not prevailing in prayer. There are hundreds of people with impaired bodies who know what it is to pray in the holy ghost. In work for god never look at flesh and blood causes; meet every arrangement for the day in the power of the holy ghost. It makes no difference what your work is or what your circumstances are; if you are praying in the holy ghost he will produce an atmosphere round about you, and all these things will redound to the glory of god.

Apostolic habit

Pray without ceasing. Keep the child-like habit of continually ejaculating in your heart to god, recognise and rely on the holy ghost all the time. Inarticulate prayer, the impulsive prayer that looks so futile, is the thing god always heeds. The habit of ejaculatory prayer ought to be the persistent habit of each one of us.

Attitude of daily reaction

The way we react during the day will either hinder or help our praying. If we allow a state of reaction not Born of a simple relationship to jesus christ, we shall have so much wilderness waste to get through before we can come to god, mists and shadows which come between our conscious life and the interceding holy ghost. The holy ghost is there all the time, but we have lost sight of him by allowing things that have not sprung from our simple relationship to jesus christ. Anything that is so continually with us, even our religious life itself, that we never really pray in the holy ghost, may be a hindrance. The only one who prays in the holy ghost is the child, the child- spirit in us, the gay spirit of utter confidence in god. When we pray in the holy ghost, we bring to god the things that come quite naturally to our minds, and the holy ghost who maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of god enables god to answer the prayer he himself prays in your bodily temple and mine. . . . That ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven. The holy ghost cannot delight in our wisdom; it is the wisdom of god he delights in. Have we recognised that our body is the temple of the holy ghost? If so, we must be careful that we keep it undefiled for him. My house shall be called a house of prayer, said jesus.

Lord, how I desire to see Thee, to hear Thee, to
meditate on Thee and to manifestly grow like
Thee! And Thou hast said, “Delight thyself also
in the Lord , and He shall give thee the desires of
thine heart.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
O Lord, I know Thy blessing and I praise Thee,
but it is the indescribable touch and enwheeling as
Thy servant that I seek for—I know not what I
fear for, but Thou knowest. How I long for Thee!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lord, I still move and live in a dim world, feeling
Thee near by faith, but I will not presume. I would
hide in Thee in security and patience until I am as
Thou wouldst have me to be.