Holy Spirit, Come, O Come

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Jude 1:20-21

Prayer, says Jude, is to be in the Holy Spirit. What he means is this. Our human prayers are at least sometimes bound to be selfish and blind. It is only when the Holy Spirit takes full possession of us that our desires are so purified that our prayers are right. The truth is that as Christians we are bound to pray to God, but he alone can teach us how to pray and what to pray for.

Jude gives us two ways that we can keep ourselves in God’s love. The first is by building ourselves up in our most holy faith. Become deeply rooted in the faith and in God’s word. Intentionally invest time and effort in understanding and practicing your faith. It will not happen by accident or by passively sitting on the sidelines.

And, secondly, he tells us to pray in the Holy Spirit. I do not believe that he is telling us to pray in tongues as some might suppose. Rather he is telling us to pray in the power of the Spirit. As you pray, allow God’s Spirit to fill you and guide you in your prayer. And listen to the Spirit’s response to you. Prayer should be two-way communication. All too often, we make it one-way, talking to God but not listening to his response.

So, while we wait on the Lord, we are grow in God’s love by investing time in his word and in prayer. Not just a casual reading and simple listing of requests. But investing your whole self in it.

Well might we use the prayer found in the hymn:-

Holy Spirit, come, confirm us 

in the truth that Christ makes known; 

We have faith and understanding 

through your helping gifts alone. 

 

Holy Spirit, come, console us, 

come as advocate to plead; 

Loving Spirit stand beside us, 

grant in Christ the help we need. 

 

Holy Spirit, come, renew us, 

come yourself to make us live; 

Make us holy through your presence, 

holy through the gifts you give. 

 

Holy Spirit, come, fulfil us, 

you the love of Three in One; 

Bring our lives to full completion 

through your work in us begun.