July 7

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If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Luke 11:13

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🔊 The Bible bids us pray that we might receive the Holy Spirit. But prayer is not merely speaking religiously to God. The key to prayer is an inner longing that is directed up in faith to God. Some people pray for revival but do not long for it. A mother may not be very ‘good at prayer’, but will groan all day with longing for her son to be saved. She may not realise that she has been praying all day, but her inner longing is heard by God. Jesus said that He would give the Holy Spirit to those who thirst and come to Him and ask. It is not like asking for a cup of coffee! It is more like a man asking for a woman’s hand in marriage. It is a deeper step in an eternal partnership. When a young man asks a girl to marry him, he will prepare the moment as well as possible. If he truly loves the girl, he will wait for the answer with bated breath and beating heart! The Bible portrays God as a young man in love in the Song of Solomon. The most common picture of the Church is the Bride of Christ, making herself ready for her wedding day – Revelation 19:7-9. God is inviting us to share eternity with Him. God has promised to hear our prayer if we ask with all our heart – Jeremiah 29:12-13. Ask in faith, believing in God’s unswerving faithfulness to His promise.