Dear Conrad – I’ve heard I can pray “in the Spirit” while going about my day, when my mind is really concentrated on school and whatnot. It seems like the only way to "pray without ceasing" while doing things requiring focus. But how do you pray in the Spirit—do you just believe He’s praying with your spirit? Does Romans 8:26 mean, by “the Spirit Himself interceding for us,” that He prays in our place—helping do the job for us, inside of us? This is off only one verse, I think, which kind of bugs me. I don’t want to be deceived out of the faith to do something I ought to do. I dunno, I might have the wrong idea, or likely no idea. – narfthewonderdog

Dear Narfthewonderdog,

“Praying in the Spirit” means - "praying in communion with and in the power of the Spirit of God." This means that the more we spend time with God: studying His word, meditating on His word, praying to Him, just thinking of Him, the more we commune with God and the more we become conscious of His presence in our existence.

Our ‘God-consciousness’ enables us to develop the habit of automatically trying to see things from God's perspective. As we become more this kind of a person, the more we develop a sense of dependence upon God's wisdom for understanding and upon His power to make or see things happen.

Soon, speaking with the Lord in our thoughts become second nature to us. That's when we pray in the Spirit and without ceasing. It is comforting to realize also that the Holy Spirit prays with us as we pray or have a conversation with God so that what we pray for finds alignment with the will of God.