Praying In The Holy Spirit

Review – April 2011 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Praying In The Holy Spirit
By H. A. Ironside

Publisher: Grace & Truth, Inc.

Address: 210 Chestnut St., Danville, IL 61832 USA
www.gtpress.org

Format: 36 page booklet, revised 1991

As H. A. Ironside writes in the introduction to this booklet, its purpose is to help the reader “meditate a little on prayer, and try to learn a few things about prayer from the Word of God.”

And it is in the introduction itself that the learning begins, because there the author addresses one of the most asked questions about prayer: “Does God answer the prayers of the unconverted?” Some other questions taken up by the author in this booklet are:

• What does it mean to pray in the Holy Spirit?
• How can I pray according to God’s will?
• Since God already knows everything, why bother to pray?
• What does Satan do when I pray?
• What are some hindrances to prayer?
• Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?

In addition to answering these and other questions, Ironside also deals with several significant issues regarding prayer, such as:

• The relationship between prayer and communion with God.
• The relationship between intercessory prayer and evangelism.
• The relationship between self-examination and effective prayer.
• How God teaches us through His answers to our prayers.

As is the case with Ironside’s many other books, this one too is appropriately punctuated with personal examples and anecdotes intended to increase understanding of and add color to his instruction. Because of his easy-to-read style, this booklet is also highly quotable. The editor of this revised edition has highlighted several brief quotations as insets in the text. Some examples are:

• “Whatever condemns me in my own conscience hinders prayer.”
• “If we had more Holy Spirit prayer meetings, we would have more Holy Spirit preaching.”
• “To present a petition and then merely add ‘In the name of the Lord’ is not necessarily to pray in His name.”
• “He who finds his delight in the Lord will not ask selfishly for gratification of carnal desires.”

In addition to an introduction and conclusion, the book contains nine chapters, each one packed with important instruction and encouragement to improve and expand the reader’s prayer life. As Ironside points out in his closing comments, his desire is that his readers would become more prayerful people, not just praying for themselves, but for others as well, and especially for the Lord’s interests.

If you desire to improve your prayer life, I urge you to read this brief booklet. It will help you to realize the power of the Holy Spirit in prayer and the relationship of the Word of God to prayer.

Reviewed By Larry Ondrejack