Although Christ is the One to whose Name saints are gathered at the prayer meeting, it is equally necessary to recognize the function or office of the Holy Spirit in prayer, and that, whether in private or public. Consider the magnitude of the fact that the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, and, abiding with us forever, is here today (John 14:16)! He dwells in the Church which is builded together for His habitation; He dwells in the individual believer (Eph. 2:22; 1 Cor. 6:19). Such a fact is immensely important. We find that this indwelling Spirit is our Instructor and Guide in prayer, and all true prayer is in the Spirit. "Praying in the Holy Ghost." Jude 20. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." Eph. 6:18. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Rom. 8:26, 27.
When Christ was with His disciples, He taught them to pray; John had similarly taught his disciples. But now all that is changed. It was expedient for the disciples that Christ should go away in order that the Holy Ghost should come, and He, being there, takes the office of forming our minds and hearts in prayer. Truly, we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but-as dwelling in us-the Spirit Himself maketh intercession. The words "for us" in Rom. 8:26, are not in the best texts, and, like many well-meant additions to Scripture, only mar its perfectness. Maketh intercession for us inserted in this verse, would rather give the idea of the blessed Spirit and the saints as two distinct parties, and that He. externally to us, makes intercession for us, That this is not the sense, is clear from the next words-"He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Rom. 8:27. Thus then, God who looks down into the heart, sees there the in-wrought desires and prayers of the Spirit, and the intercession which the Spirit there makes, for and on behalf of the saints, is according to God. The structure of this scripture (Rom. 8:26, 27) is remarkable. As regards ourselves. the Spirit is so identified with us, that God, in searching the hearts, finds there the mind of the spirit, and this is what He graciously takes up, not the workings of the flesh. But as regards God-whatever may be the Spirit's condescension to us-the Spirit stands in all His own power and dignity as a Person of the Godhead, to plead for the saints. What solemnity, what divine value, clothes the prayers of saints, when the form in which they come before God is that of intercession by the Spirit Himself! On our side this may reach down to an inarticulate groan; Godward, it rises to the height of the Spirit's own intercession.
The bearing of this upon prayer is most encouraging. Here we find the Holy Spirit as dwelling in us, graciously identifying Himself in tender sympathy with our weakness, with our infirmities. The Church which Christ has purchased with His own blood is so precious, that the blessed Spirit must come and dwell there and look after it. Being here, He is our Paraclete, that is, Manager of our affairs. He opposes the flesh in us (Gal. 5:17), helps our infirmities, condescends to our ignorance, and enters into our sorrows with groanings which cannot be uttered.
We do not think enough of the sympathy of the Spirit of God with us. He is that “other Comforter" [Paraclete] who, the Lord said, was to replace Himself on earth. Jesus took our infirmities, and the Spirit helpeth our infirmities; Jesus groaned at Lazarus's grave, and the Spirit intercedes for the saints with groanings which cannot be uttered. How great must be the interest of the Holy Spirit in us when He can come and dwell in us, not discontinuing His stay, although our ways so often grieve Him (Eph. 4:30)!
When once grasped, this truth of the function which the Holy Ghost graciously assumes in the matter of prayer easily disposes of some popular errors.
1. Praying to the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is in us, and is Himself the moving power and inditer of our prayers, then obviously, to address our prayers to Him is an incongruity: it is "by Him” that we "have access to the Father." Eph. 2:18. For addressing the Holy Spirit, Scripture gives us neither precept nor example. Such hymns, therefore, as that commencing, "Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove," however pious their intention, do not show an intelligent apprehension of Christian doctrine. When we address God indefinitely, of course the three Persons of the Trinity are included, but when we pray to the Persons distinctively, it can only be to the Father or to the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Forms of Prayer. Following a set form in prayer is quite inconsistent with the office of the Holy Ghost in the Church. If He is Himself with us as inditer of our prayers, how unworthy to limit Him to certain forms of words! Suppose the greatest musical genius of the world came to reside with me that I might enjoy his compositions, and I, instead of listening to him, brought out a music box which could only regale me with its narrow stock of tunes, should I not be insulting my gracious guest? Although we know not what we should pray for as we ought, the remedy is not that wise men should frame forms for us. Our resource is the Holy Spirit who helps our infirmities, condescends to our weaknesses, and intercedes with groans which cannot be uttered. When that Mighty Spirit condescends to undertake this gracious function, what dishonor to Him, what a want of faith, to substitute a dead form for His living guidance!
3. Using the Lord's Prayer. But some think, "However I may distrust my own prayers, and even the Prayer Book, which, though framed by good men, is not inspired, yet, 'the Lord's Prayer' which He Himself ordained-surely we are on safe ground in using that?" This spirit of reverence for the Lord Jesus is certainly right, but the view expressed is oblivious of the immense change of affairs, consequent on the coming of the Holy Ghost, who, having descended on Christ at His baptism, descended upon the Church at Pentecost, and is still here. In giving the prayer of Matt. 6, the Lord was performing the office of Paraclete which is now performed by the Holy Spirit. That prayer was absolutely perfect for the time and circumstances for which it was prescribed. It is not equally applicable to another time and altered circumstances. One or two points will be sufficient to establish this. (1) The Lord Himself declared that in connection with the coming of the Holy Ghost there would be a change in respect of this very matter of prayer. In John 16, He is speaking of a future day, "When He, the Spirit of truth, is come" (John 16:13), and in John 16:23-26, He deals with the subject of prayer in "that day." He says: "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.... At that day ye shall ask in My name." John 16:24, 26. Now here we see that the Lord Himself was leading the disciples beyond "the Lord's Prayer" for in the latter, His name is not mentioned, and He tells them that, in the coming era, prayer was to be in His Name. (2) Another indication of the incongruity of "the Lord's Prayer" to the present time, is that its aspiration is for the coming of the kingdom, "Thy kingdom come." This was a proper Jewish hope, suited to the Jewish disciples for whom the prayer was ordained, but the Church has an earlier and a brighter hope, even to see and be with the Lord Himself before the kingdom comes (1 Thess. 4:16-18).
The Lord, indeed, taught the disciples to pray, and did so perfectly. But the office of intercessor on earth He has now relinquished to the Holy Spirit, to whose guidance, therefore, we are committed. Let us seek to be "praying in the Holy Ghost" knowing that the Spirit enters with fullest sympathy, into all our infirmities, all our circumstances, and will give us desires, sentiments, and expressions appropriate to every experience, either happy or sad, through which the soul can pass. "The Lord's Prayer" belongs to a past period, before the Spirit had been given. We have the Holy Ghost Himself now, to assist our prayers.
E. Thomas