A Prayer for the Spirit

A Prayer for the Spirit

February 2006

Acts 6:3 speaks of the first deacons being "full of the Holy Spirit." Again, we are told in Acts 7:55 that when Stephen was martyred, he was “full of the Holy Spirit.” And Barnabas is described as a man “full of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:24).

Ever-loving God, we also want this blessing—to be filled with your Spirit. We ask, how can we know when we have the Holy Spirit? But we have directions on this in the scriptures. We have the Holy Spirit when we have the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 lists the fruits of the Spirit. They are "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance." We understand, Lord, that a person who has those characteristics has the Holy Spirit, and that every follower of Christ ought to strive for that kind of character. We are to be your people, a people of compassion and happiness, peace and patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness and meekness, humility and gentleness.

But, Lord, most of us are not there yet. We want to be that kind of people, your “Holy Spirit” people, but often we are not as kind and good nor as meek and faithful as we ought to be.

Therefore, we come to you in prayer, Lord. Seeking your guidance, seeking your help, seeking your power, to help us become more what we know we ought to be.

When we call on you, Lord, we do not forget that we have our own part to play in our own character development. The fruits of the spirit are not things that just happen. We must consciously work for them. We know that we are responsible for ourselves, but we also know that we will never make the sort of progress we ought to make in developing a spirit-filled character without your loving assistance.

Help us, O Lord, empower us to be truly your people, to be filled with your Holy Spirit, and to show forth Christ in all his radiant glory. Amen.

If you have questions or comments, email Tony Grant

Last Modified: 08/28/07