It is not sinful to ask the Holy Spirit to help with something that is under its domain during prayer. It indwells each believer to sanctify, convict, and prepare Christians for eternity in Heaven, and calling on it for help in those matters through prayer is appropriate.
One of the mysteries of the Christian faith is the nature of God, because there is a picture painted of Him as three-in-one. The Trinity refers to the idea that God is three separate, unique identities that are also one being. These identities are The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The last one in that list is perhaps the most mysterious, but the one that guides Christians in their daily lives. People often pray to the Father and the Son, but sometimes feel hesitant to pray to the Holy Spirit. The Bible makes it clear the Holy Spirit is a part of prayer, with it guiding believers and even providing a method of communication between someone and God when they just cannot articulate their needs and pain in prayer.
Invoking the Spirit in prayer is acceptable, especially when asking for help in something for which the Bible says the Holy Spirit is there to help.
Who (or What) Is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of God, an element of His character that touches the daily lives of those who love Him. The first mention of the Spirit is in Genesis; “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
Before anything was created, God existed in perfect unity with Himself: Father, Son, and Spirit, together. After the Fall, the Spirit stayed in Heaven, but it would descend on certain individuals, selected to do the Lord’s work, or who had a particularly close relationship to God. It is described by Jesus as the Helper, or the Comforter, whose presence is with the Church until He returns, and as a seal on Christians so they are marked as one of Jesus’ flock.
Some of these individuals included:
Joshua
“So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him’” (Numbers 27:18).
Othniel
“But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died” (Judges 3:9-11).
David
“And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him, for this is he.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed [David] in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah” (1 Samuel 16:12b-13).
During the time before the Lord Jesus came to earth, the Spirit would rest with certain individuals, but not everyone, and it could leave them if they hardened their hearts or sinned greatly against the Lord. The most prominent example of the Spirit descending upon and then departing from someone was Saul - the first king of Israel. When the prophet Samuel first anoints Saul, “...the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them” (1 Samuel 10:10b). Despite being powerfully used by God, Saul grows increasingly worldly. He disobeys the command to eliminate all the Amalekites, including their livestock, and finally, “Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 16:14a).
The Holy Spirit also dispensed gifts in the Old Testament. When the Hebrew people were making a Tabernacle for God, the Spirit endowed Bezaleel with wisdom and knowledge for crafting. Today, the Holy Spirit still dispenses gifts ranging from the practical, such as administration and teaching, to gifts like speaking in tongues and discernment.
Can We Pray to the Holy Spirit?
The Lord’s Prayer is considered the model prayer by many Christians, and the Holy Spirit is not mentioned. However, many Christians pray in the name of Jesus, something that is not present in the Lord’s prayer either.
The Bible says the Holy Spirit is a part of prayer; the Apostle Paul wrote, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Knowing the Spirit is interceding when prayers are inadequate is comforting.
The Spirit is also the source of sanctification. It is what convicts believers of their sins, revealing even the most suppressed evil, and what cultivates godly character traits; “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
It is not sinful to ask the Holy Spirit to help with something that is under its domain during prayer. It indwells each believer to sanctify, convict, and prepare Christians for eternity in Heaven, and calling on it for help in those matters through prayer is appropriate.
3 Prayers to the Holy Spirit
A Prayer for Understanding
O Lord,
I thank you that You are full of wisdom, and that You want to share that wisdom with us. Holy Spirit, I am in a complicated situation right now. I need understanding and discernment to navigate it in a manner that does not hurt those around me, maintains my testimony, and glorifies God. Fill me with the divine discernment that only comes from the Lord, so that I can
navigate these rough waters. Guide me and help me to understand those who are not in agreement with me, so that I can see them the way the Lord sees them. Help me to know what is right, and to stand in the right.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
A Prayer for Strength
O Lord,
I am weak, and need your help to do what is right. I am assailed on all sides by temptation, and my flesh is easily corrupted. You give strength to the weary and power to the weak. Holy Spirit, help me to feel Your presence, and fill me with the power to walk away from the things that are trying to pull me away from the path of righteousness. I need to feel Your presence, and I need Your power to say no. Spirit, guide me and lead me along the straight path and through the narrow gate.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
A Prayer for Increased Godliness
O Lord,
Without you, I am wicked sinner, who thinks no good thought and does no good deed. I thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to seal me as the guarantee of my inheritance until I acquire possession of it, to the praise of the glory of God. Holy Spirit, please increase godly character in me. Make me more like my Lord and Savior through conviction and sanctification. Find in me and remove sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, enmity, jealousy, wrath, envy, and any other sin that consumes my heart. Instead, fill me with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want less of me, and more of my God, and I need your guidance Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
While the Holy Spirit is difficult to understand, it is the way God abides and guides. The Holy Spirit is an active part of a Christian’s life, as long as they do not suppress it. It serves as the believer’s conscience, and to blaspheme it and ignore it is to bring condemnation upon oneself. Relying on the Spirit is a path toward righteousness, and reaching out in prayer for that guidance is a way to stay connected to God.
Sources
Hernandez, David Diga. Encountering the Holy Spirit in Every Book of the Bible. Destiny Image, Inc., 2018.
Montague, George. Holy Spirit Make Me Your Home. Frederick: The Word Among Us Press, 2008.
Smith, Gordon. Welcome, Holy Spirit. Westmont: Intervarsity Press, 2021.
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Photo credit: Unsplash/Naassom Azevedo
Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer who uses her passion for God, reading, and writing to glorify God. She and her husband have lived all over the country serving their Lord and Savior in ministry. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com.
