The Bible tells us that we should always pray in the Spirit. According to Ephesians 6:18, we should "Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion." This discipline of using the Holy Spirit's gift brings so many benefits that we can only experience when we use it.

Pray without ceasing

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we should pray unceasingly. In all honesty, it's hard to pray non-stop because there are times when we don't even know what to pray for. It's during these moments when praying in the Spirit proves to be more powerful than we ever know.

The Spirit knows better

Romans 8:26-27 tells us that "the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will."

When you realise that you are already groping for words to pray to the Lord, know that you can pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, which is living inside of you, knows what you need and what you want to say even when you don't know how to say it. He just knows.

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. He knows all your thoughts, knows all your problems, knows all that you are going through, knows the deepest longings and cries of your heart. When we rely on Him in prayer, we don't just pray to God the things that we can't express in words – we pray to Him the way He wants us to pray.

Romans 8:27 says "the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will." 1 John 5:14 says "this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." Jesus said according to John 14:13 that "You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father."

These verses simply say that when we pray in the Spirit, we pray according to the will of God. When we pray that way, we are assured God hears us. And when God hears us, especially because we ask in Jesus' name, we are assured of what we are praying for.