3. Lack of content.  As humans, not only do we not naturally know what to pray for, we don't even know how to pray!  So what does the Holy Spirit do?  He teaches us what to say.  How does the Holy Spirit do this?  By teaching us to listen.  When we listen to God in prayer...when we stay long enough at the place in prayer...God is able to clarify His will and teach us what to say when we pray.

4. Lack of capability.  We lack the strength, we lack the energy, and we lack the steadfastness to pray.  But the Spirit of God comes along and energizes our prayer lives.  When we worship God in the Spirit, we are invigorated!

5. Lack of concentration.  Is it strange to you how anything and everything will distract you when you finally try to pray?  I'm convinced the devil will do anything he can to keep us from talking to God.  So the Spirit of God does warfare against the enemy to help us concentrate when we pray. 

As you learn to pray with the power of the Holy Spirit, I want you to remember God is at His strongest when we are at our weakest.  Consider what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10:

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thanks be to God, when we are weak, He is strong!  And He is trying to get every one of us to the point where we depend on His strength at all times...especially in the midst of our weaknesses.

That's why you should never be surprised when God just puts you flat on your back!  He wants you to look up to Him!  God will sometimes allow pain in our lives so that we might pray in dependence upon Him.

My friend, you must learn to depend upon the Holy Spirit in prayer just as you depend on Him for witnessing...for preaching...for speaking...for service...and for soul-winning.   He is the One who is called along side to help you, the One who invests Himself within you to enable you to live for God. 

And He is the only One who can help you pray with power!

Dr. Jack Graham is pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church. He is committed to helping Christians experience the Kingdom of God and it’s power in every area of their lives. He is also a noted author of numerous books, including A Hope and a Future, Diamonds in the Dark, Lessons from the Heart, and Life According to Jesus, which can be found at www.jackgraham.org . PowerPoint Ministries is the radio and television broadcast ministry of Dr. Graham.