Discipleship Devotional, May 12th, 2025
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 (NIV)
A lot of people think about prayer in the context of what it can do for them, but what’s more important is what prayer does in us. There’s a greater purpose to prayer than receiving things from God; prayer is where we fellowship with God and become more conformed to the image of God. Our anchor passage shows us that when we pray in the Holy Ghost, we establish ourselves more in God’s love. That is, we keep our feet firm in Christ.
If we have to list all the benefits of prayer, it will take several journals to do so. It is limitless just as God is limitless. It’s very difficult to list all the benefits of prayer because of who we are praying to. Fellowshipping with this limitless God automatically brings the possibility of limitless possibilities. However, in the midst of all these benefits, one very crucial yet neglected one is that praying in the Spirit establishes our roots. It strengthens our convictions and makes firm our foundation.
A person who isn’t prayerful won’t have firm convictions about anything in Christ. This is a very dangerous position to be in. There are many believers who have been swayed into atheism or some false religions simply because they are not established in their faith. Sometimes, it’s not a knowledge issue; it’s a conviction issue. Head knowledge doesn’t impart conviction. It’s fellowship with the Spirit that imparts convictions.
In his letter to the Ephesians, we see that the Apostle Paul prayed for the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened. He prayed that the saints be rooted and grounded in love, just as our anchor text suggests. (Eph. 3:14–20)
Prayer
Holy Spirit, help me to commit myself to a life of prayer, knowing that it will keep me firmly rooted in the love of God.
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