A Prayer about Becoming Aware of the Spirit
A Prayer about Becoming Aware of the Spirit
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31
Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,
Forgive us for failing to recognize
and celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
We are like “the husband in a bad marriage,
living under the same roof as his wife,
making constant use of his wife’s services,
but failing to communicate with her,
to recognize her presence,
or to celebrate his relationship with her.”*
And yet, you, Heavenly Father,
have chosen to communicate your presence
in the Holy Spirit,
so much so that David prayed,
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7).
And you, Lord Jesus,
emphasized the necessity of the Spirit’s saving,
helping,
guiding,
teaching,
enlightening,
comforting
work in the lives of your disciples,
saying things like,
“And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever,
even the Spirit of truth…” (John 14:17).
Assuring us, the Helper, the Holy Spirit…
”will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance
all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).
You, Holy Spirit, teach us
and fill us
and change us,
and intercede for us,
making us ever more like our Savior, Jesus.
Even now, may we take a moment
to rest from our praying
and meditate on
the wonder and power
of your indwelling presence in our lives.
Amen.
Read John 14-16.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Lord,
We believe; help our unbelief.
We believe you have already come into our midst
in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
We believe you are a mighty one
who has already saved us from our sins
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
But in the next line of this magnificent verse,
we stutter and stumble.
We think that maybe you will rejoice in us
some day in the future
when we are more holy,
that you will love us
some day in the future
when we never sin again,
that you will exult in us with loud singing
some day in the future
when we’ve finally earned our way to heaven.
But that’s not what Scripture tells us.
The gospel good news
for all who trust in Jesus
is that right this minute,
you are rejoicing over us,
right this minute
you are quieting us with your love,
right this minute
and you are exulting over us with loud singing.
You saved us.
You love us.
You delight in us.
You sing extra-loud over us,
like the five-year-old who loves to sing
at the top of his lungs
because he’s so happy.
Help us today to sit quietly
and listen for the sound
of your delight in us,
and may that delight
change the way we live and love
today and every day.
In Jesus’ saving name. Amen.
Read Zephaniah 3:14-20.
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage
author, life and legacy coach, speaker
Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage is the author of Preparing for Glory: Biblical Answers to 40 Questions on Living and Dying in Hope of Heaven.
(affiliate link)
