“Lord, raise up in me a holy passion.”

I have sincerely prayed some form of this prayer in two different seasons of my life.

The first time was after being captivated by a well-known Bible study teacher, who embodied the words of Jeremiah 20:9 - “his word is in my heart like a fire.”  She shared that she had asked God to give her a passion for His word, and how richly He had answered her in that request.  I could see it; I could hear it I the enthusiasm in her voice.

So I prayed for that as well, and I witnessed the power of God to take that ember of desire I had and fan it into a flame of passion for His word.  It is unquenchable.   The more I read it and study it, the more I fall in love with it. My most treasured Bible is currently held together with duct tape, and I am reluctant to replace it because with each turn of the worn pages, I am reminded of the way His word has ministered to me through many different seasons of life.

The second time I have prayed for a holy passion has been during this pandemic.  I came across this exact prayer when looking back over the book Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker.  She was moved to pray those words at a time in her life when she felt spiritually dry, and the result was a complete upending of her life as she knew it.

I wasn’t feeling spiritually dry, but I felt restless, like I was hungering for something and didn’t know what it was.  This was more than just the itch to do something at a time when we all needed to just stay home.  I think God used this time to show me the way forward He had planned for me.  I was moved to pray to God once again and ask for the Holy Spirit to stir within me a holy passion, but this time I did not know what this thing would be.

I believe this prayer has paved the way for me to serve Him in new ways, to serve our church in new ways.

If you are feeling restless or hungering for some unknown thing, I invite you to pray a similar prayer and believe in the Holy Spirit’s power of transformation.

Lord, You who have searched me and know me, who encircle me and have placed Your hand upon me,  fill me with Your Spirit.  Raise up in me a holy passion.  Amen.