How Do We Make Prayer?

True prayer comes from our cooperation with the Holy Spirit.:

John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

Romans 8:26-27: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Our church fathers teach this as well:

St. Basil the Great: “It is especially important to teach those who pray how to ask from the Holy Spirit for those things which are absolutely necessary for the soul. For He is the source of sanctification and spiritual enlightenment; He gives the inner strength necessary for the soul’s health, and transforms the spirit.” (On the Holy Spirit, Chapter 26)

St. John Chrysostom: “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. This means that the Spirit, by means of the inexplicable groans of prayer, suggests to us what we should pray for, what it is right to request in prayer.” (Homilies on Romans, Homily 15)

St. Seraphim of Sarov: “The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. Prayer, fasting, vigil, and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of attaining this aim.” (Conversation with N. A. Motovilov)

St. Symeon the New Theologian: “When a man’s mind is perfectly united to God and receives the energy of the Holy Spirit, he prays to God in the Spirit and is fully aware of what he is saying and of the prayer’s content, having been illumined by the divine light.” (The Discourses, Chapter 25)

Prayer requires humility to be aware of the voice of the Holy Spirit. Our petitions should reflect this humbleness. The most powerful prayer for Orthodox Christians is the Jesus prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” As we quiet ourselves and emerge our soul in His love reciting this prayer, divine grace will flow into our heart. We will see the world with new eyes and find it effortless to do the will of our God.

It all happens through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is through Him we make true prayer.

Reference: Wounded by Love: Saint Porphyios, pg 113