In an age of distraction, superficiality, and spiritual confusion, Christians must recover serious, Scripture-shaped, Spirit-dependent prayer. Not theatrical prayer. Not mystical speculation. Not cold formalism. But humble, biblical, Christ-centred communion with the living God.

Among the shorter books of the Bible, the letter of Jude contains some remarkably weighty exhortations. Writing to Christians threatened by false teachers and spiritual compromise, Jude urges believers to “contend for the faith” (Jude 3). Yet his final instructions are strikingly pastoral and deeply practical:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 20–21)

For many Christians, the phrase “praying in the Holy Spirit” raises immediate questions. Does Jude refer to a special kind of prayer? Is he speaking about emotional intensity? About mystical experiences? About speaking in tongues? Or is he describing something more ordinary, and yet more profound?

For Christians from a conservative evangelical perspective (like my own), Jude’s words should neither be ignored nor sensationalised. They should instead drive us back to Scripture itself, where we discover that prayer in the Holy Spirit is not an elite spiritual technique reserved for a few unusually gifted believers. It is the ordinary privilege and calling of every Christian.

Prayer Is Trinitarian

One of the clearest ways to understand prayer in the Holy Spirit is to recognise that Christian prayer is fundamentally Trinitarian. Throughout the New Testament, believers pray:

• To the Father
• Through the Son
• By the Holy Spirit

Paul writes in Ephesians 2:18 “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” Likewise, Romans 8 teaches that the Spirit helps believers in weakness and intercedes for them according to the will of God.

Christian prayer, therefore, is never merely a human exercise in religious reflection. It is communion with God made possible by the saving work of Christ and enabled by the indwelling Spirit. To pray in the Holy Spirit is to pray under the influence, guidance, and power of the Spirit whom God has given to all believers.

What “Praying in the Holy Spirit” Does Not Mean

Because the phrase has sometimes been associated almost exclusively with charismatic practice, it is important to clarify what Jude is not necessarily referring to.

There is no indication in the context that Jude means speaking in tongues. Nor does he suggest that Christians should seek altered states of consciousness, ecstatic utterances, or spontaneous revelations beyond Scripture.

Indeed, Jude’s emphasis throughout the letter is strongly anchored in apostolic truth. Christians are to build themselves up “in your most holy faith”, that is, the objective faith once delivered to the saints. Prayer in the Spirit is therefore inseparable from biblical truth, not detached from it.

The Holy Spirit who inspired Scripture never leads Christians away from Scripture. Nor does praying in the Spirit simply mean praying with heightened emotion. Deep feeling in prayer can be entirely appropriate, but emotional intensity alone is not evidence of spiritual authenticity. Someone can be emotionally stirred and spiritually shallow, or outwardly restrained and profoundly sincere.

So What Does It Mean?

At its heart, praying in the Holy Spirit means praying in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, in submission to the Word of God, and in alignment with the will of God. It means that prayer is not merely ritualistic, mechanical, or self-directed. The Spirit works within believers to produce genuine faith, reverence, repentance, love for God, and confidence in Christ.

John Calvin described true prayer as arising from “the secret energy of the Spirit.” That captures the idea well. Prayer in the Spirit is prayer animated by spiritual life rather than empty religiosity. This includes several important dimensions.

1. Prayer in the Spirit Is Christ-Centred

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is always to glorify Christ (John 16:14). Therefore, Spirit-filled prayer will not become obsessed with spiritual experiences themselves. Rather, it will increasingly draw the believer toward Christ – toward his person, his work, his promises, and his kingdom.

The Spirit teaches us to pray with gospel confidence because Christ has opened the way to the Father. A Christian praying in the Spirit does not approach God on the basis of personal worthiness, but through the righteousness of Christ alone.

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