Follow Seed for Today on Google News
Scripture presents two expressions of personal prayer: praying with the understanding and praying with the spirit. There are times to engage your mind intelligently in prayer, and there are times to pray beyond the limits of your understanding. Learn to do both.
“For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also…” — 1 Corinthians 14:14–15 KJV¹
When you pray with the understanding, your mind and reasoning are engaged. You know what you are asking, confessing, declaring, or thanking God for. You can pray specifically about your family, health, ministry, work, decisions, needs, and future. Your understanding helps you articulate your burdens and present definite requests before God.
But Paul also speaks of praying with the spirit, where he says, “my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” There are moments when words and human reasoning seem inadequate. You may sense a burden but not fully understand it. In such moments, prayer in the spirit allows you to continue communing with God beyond what your mind can presently articulate.
Paul did not choose one and reject the other. He declared, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.” Develop both dimensions of prayer. Pray intelligently and specifically, but do not allow the limits of your understanding to become the limits of your prayer life. Engage your mind, engage your spirit, and keep praying!
Today, I choose a deeper and more balanced life of prayer. I will pray with my understanding, presenting definite requests before God, and I will pray with my spirit when my understanding is unfruitful. I refuse to be limited by what my mind alone can comprehend. By the grace of God, I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also!
Referenced Scriptures
¹ 1 Corinthians 14:14–15 (KJV) — “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”