But the Holy Spirit produces this kind
of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace…. Galatians 5:22
The first
two lessons on prayer are: We must ask the Father to give us the Spirit anew
every morning, and then ask the Spirit to teach us and help us.
Here is a
third lesson—commit to memory today’s text.
Christians
often think that they only need to ask God to teach them to pray and that He
will do it at once. This is not always the case. What the Spirit does is
strengthen our spiritual lives so we are able to pray better. When we ask Him
to teach us, it is important that we first of all surrender ourselves to the
working of the Spirit. This surrender consists in naming before Him the fruit
of the Spirit, with the earnest prayer to be filled with this fruit. Think of
the first three—love, joy, peace—the three chief characteristics of a strong
faith life. Love: to God, to believers, and to all men. Joy: the proof of the
provision for every need of courage and faith for all the work we have to do.
Peace: the blessed state of undisturbed rest and security in which God can keep
our hearts and minds.
In His
last talk with the disciples, Christ used these words: “remain in his love…so
that you will be filled with my joy” (John 15:10–11). “I am leaving you with a
gift—peace of mind and heart” (John 14:27).
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