Tuesday Prayer Room – 9am
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. – 1 Corinthians 14:1
PRAYER GUIDE:
What do we eagerly desire? What do we ardently long for? Some of us eagerly desire a partner, a soul mate, a spouse. Others of us long to be successful, or to be financially stable. Some of us long to be healthy, or to be free, or to get out of a difficult trial or situation. Some of us eagerly desire to be famous, or important, or to make our mark.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 14 to eagerly desire the things of the Spirit. The verb he uses for “eagerly desire,” zeilo’o, is a strong verb in the Greek. It refers to ardent longing, in some of its tenses, it even suggests a kind of jealousy.
The problem with many of us and much of the church is not that our desires are too strong, but that often they are not strong enough…and that they are not aimed at the right object of desire.
In Psalm 27, David said this: “One thing I ask, this alone do I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to seek him in his temple.” God is honored by and looking for this kind of desire. David was thinking, of course, about the presence of God in the tabernacle. His longing was to build God a permanent dwelling, a temple, where his presence could rest.
His descendent, Jesus, ended up building this very temple. It is not a physical temple, but a community of people who host the presence of God. The people of God are called to be a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2-3), where God dwells by his Spirit. This is why Paul tells us to ardently long for the Spirit and the things of the Spirit…because it is our purpose to be a living temple for the presence of God.
So often, on a Sunday morning, however, the last person people expect to meet in church is God. But in times of renewal and times of revival, the reigning impression is the same sense of surprise Jacob had at Bethel when he exclaimed: “Surely the Lord is in this place, though I didn’t know it…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (Gen 28:16-17)
But notice the connection between our desire and the manifest presence and power of the Holy Spirit. God rarely shows up when he is not wanted or not welcomed. He is looking for the heart of David in Psalm 27. He is looking for a people who obey Paul’s command to “eagerly desire the things of the Spirit…the things the Spirit does.” God comes where he’s wanted.
PRAYER PROMPTS:
- Pray for eager and earnest desire for the presence of the Holy Spirit and for the manifestations of His presence in the church.
- Pray for the church to grow unsatisfied with religious activity devoid of presence
- Pray for believers to prioritize God’s presence in their daily lives, in their homes and families, in their churches, in their city and our region.
- Pray for the church to become people of the presence of God.
- Ask the Spirit how else to pray, and lean in.
In Our Time 