To “pray in the Spirit” means to pray in dependence on, and in harmony with, the Holy Spirit rather than merely reciting words from habit or self-focused desire. It is prayer shaped by God’s will, empowered by God’s presence, and offered from an engaged heart rather than empty ritual.
Biblical idea
The phrase comes especially from Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 20, where believers are urged to pray “in the Spirit” as part of their normal Christian life. In context, it contrasts with prayer that is merely mechanical or driven by the “flesh” (self-reliance, selfish motives, or unbelief).
Core meaning
Writers across Christian traditions describe praying in the Spirit as:
- Letting the Holy Spirit guide what you pray for, so your requests line up with God’s will rather than just your impulses.
- Letting the Spirit empower how you pray, so there is sincerity, faith, and inner engagement instead of cold formality.
This includes the Spirit helping in weakness, even when a person “does not know what to pray,” echoing Romans 8:26–27 where the Spirit intercedes beyond human words.
Not just feelings or tongues
Most Christian teachers stress that praying in the Spirit is not mainly about a particular emotion or volume, and it is not limited to speaking in tongues, though some traditions see tongues as one possible expression. Rather, any kind of genuine prayer—silent, spoken, structured, or spontaneous—can be “in the Spirit” if it is reliant on the Spirit and aligned with God’s purposes.
How to practice it
Christians commonly describe these practices as ways of praying in the Spirit:
- Coming to God conscious of being God’s child through Christ, not performing a ritual to earn favor.
- Asking the Spirit to search the heart, correct motives, and show what to pray about, then responding with trust and obedience.
- Letting Scripture shape the content of prayer so that requests reflect God’s revealed will.
