Thursday, July 21, 2011

A REMINDER TO ASK FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Lord's prayer instruction has been short-sheeted by our mere lapse of reading the rest of his admonition.

Luke 11 shares Jesus' response when the disciples asked about prayer. He offered the words which all believers have a grasp of familiarity. However, when he asked them a question it seems the linear movement of his prayer ground-work appears interrupted rather than continued. Not to be so.

Jesus poses a question regarding prayer's persistence; the traveler asks at midnight for three loaves. Quickly the shift is made to our proverbial ask, seek, and knock text. Each of these three are keyed to their question as to how to pray. However, within this context is his concluding question; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

This, too, is to be included in his response to their inquiry as to how they should pray.

Ask the Father via prayer for the Holy Spirit? Didn't our heritage teach that we are to stay away from the Holy Spirit? This has been a most costly error.

If there are two elements which would radically change both individual and congregation, it would be the direct activation of both prayer and the Holy Spirit. We need more prayer and we need more Holy Spirit. The way to the latter is to ask, seek, and knock in the former.

Would you be reminded to ask, seek, and knock for the Holy Spirit to present himself upon your walk of faith? Life will surely change.

1 comment:

Katie said...

You know the world is always saying that we need more money, more houses, more clothes etc. and we say, yes I do need more. Why are we so willing to cut ourselves off from the sweet Spirit of the Lord? Just a little bit of Spirit is not enough.