The Father's Greatest Gift

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

What should be the primary focus of our prayers? What do you most regularly pray for? 

Did you know that God prioritizes certain requests over others? 

In Luke 11:13, Jesus teaches us that there is one gift – the greatest gift – that the Father loves to give in response to prayer. That gift is the Holy Spirit. It is still good and right to pray about anything and everything in our lives, as we see in Phillipians 4:6, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). But our most important petition should be for the Holy Spirit’s presence and power. 

Why is the Holy Spirit the most important gift of prayer?

The Holy Spirit is God in us. Jesus said in John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (emphasis added). What is greater than having God live inside a human being? The Holy Spirit in us fulfills our greatest need to be in relationship with God. 

The Holy Spirit in us also empowers us to live for the glory of God. He emboldens us to tell others about Jesus. He helps us to know the truth and to walk in it ourselves. He changes our sinful ways into beautiful fruit that pleases God and blesses other people. He gives us spiritual gifts that can build up the Body of Christ and testify to non-believers. 

Every true Christian has the Holy Spirit (e.g., Romans 8:9). However, it is also true that every Christian can be more or less full of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Ephesians 5:18). So as Christians, our prayers every day should focus on the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Revivals are outpourings of the Holy Spirit. So as we pray for local and national revival, let’s pray in line with the Father’s will “to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Luke 11:13)!

Father, We want our prayers to line up with Your will as much as possible, because “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him”(1 John 5:14-15).  Dear Lord, don’t withhold Your most treasured gift of the Holy Spirit from us and our nation. Please immerse us in Your Spirit. Don’t delay! We’re asking in Jesus’ name, amen.