How to Pray to Invoke the Holy Spirit

Last Updated: June 10, 2022 References Approved

Do you love the Lord, just as He loves you? The best way to express your devotion to Him is through prayers that focus on the power of the Holy Spirit. Here, we’ll share beautiful prayers to praise and invoke the Holy Spirit. Include these in your spiritual practice to celebrate your Savior and ask for His presence in your life.

1

Three-Day Miracle Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Say this prayer daily for 3 days⁠—God will answer you on the third day. Consider what support you seek from the Lord. You may hope for an emotional state, like peace, or a specific outcome, like healing from an injury. Then, humble yourself before God and recite this prayer:
- "Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideals.You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and you who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything, and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you, no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with you and my loved ones in your perpetual glory. Amen."^{[1]
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2

“Come Holy Spirit” Prayer for Guidance

Pray to invite your Savior into your day and to ask Him to lead the way. Open your heart to God and share how you hope to be led—you may wish for the Lord to grant you patience throughout the day. After you’ve reflected on this, announce:
- “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.”^{[2]
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3

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Spirit

Reach out to the Lord to receive His gifts, such as the Spirit of Wisdom. Reflect on how you hope the Holy Spirit will influence you—for example, you might want greater fortitude so you can withstand emotional pain. Then, recite,
- “O almighty and eternal God, you have adopted me as your child in the holy sacrament of Baptism; granted to me the remission of my sins at the tribunal of penance; and has fed me with the bread of angels; perfect in me, I beseech you, all these benefits.
- Grant unto me the spirit of Wisdom, that I may despise the perishable things of this world, and love the things that are eternal;
- the spirit of Understanding, to enlighten me and to give me the knowledge of religion;
- the spirit of Counsel, that I may diligently seek the surest ways of pleasing God and obtaining heaven;
- the spirit of Fortitude, that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation;
- the spirit of Knowledge, that I may be enlightened in the ways of God;
- the spirit of Piety, that I may find the service of God both sweet and amiable;
- the spirit of Fear, that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease him.
- Seal me, in your mercy, with the seal of a disciple of Jesus Christ, unto everlasting life; and grant that, carrying the cross upon my forehead, I may carry it also in my heart, and confessing you boldly before men, may merit to be one day reckoned in the number of your elect. Amen."^{[3]
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4

Prayer of Invocations to the Holy Spirit

Come together with your community and ask Christ to enter your hearts. Reflect on God's ability to transform others and fill them with love. Then, sing out:
- "We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it. We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder. Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path nor partiality influence our actions. Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and not stray from the way of truth and what is right. All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time, in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever. Amen."^{[4]
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5

Sign of the Cross

Prepare to receive the Lord's grace with this meaningful gesture. Touch your forehead and say, "In the name of the Father." Move your hand to the center of your chest, declaring, "...and of the Son…" Touch your right shoulder and say, "...and of the Holy…" Tap your left shoulder and say, "Spirit." End by placing your hands together and announcing, "Amen."^{[5]
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- This is the first step to praying the Rosary. The following steps describe a way to pray a special kind of Rosary called the Holy Spirit Chaplet.
- To pray the Holy Spirit Chaplet, use a rosary with 5 sets of 7 beads—before and after each set, there should be 2 large beads. Before the 5 sets, there should be 3 small beads at the beginning of the rosary.
- On the first of the beginning 3 beads, make the Sign of the Cross.

6

Act of Contrition

Tell the Lord that you'll turn away from sin with this prayer. State, "My God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee: and I detest my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they have offended Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen." ^{[6]
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- On the second of the beginning 3 beads, say the Act of Contrition.

7

"Come Holy Ghost” Hymn

Sing this to say you hope everyone will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Recite, "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our hearts take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid to fill our hearts which Thou hast made, to fill our hearts which Thou hast made. O Comforter, to Thee we cry, Thou heav'nly gift of God most high; Thou fount of life, and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above, and sweet anointing from above. Praise be to Thee, Father and Son, and Holy Spirit, Three in one; and may the Son on us bestow he gifts that from the Spirit flow, the gifts that from the Spirit flow.^{[7]
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- On the third of the beginning 3 beads, sing the "Come Holy Ghost" Hymn.

8

Glory Be

Conclude a longer prayer with a meditation on the Lord's power. Declare, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."^{[8]
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- Say the Glory Be while you hold one of the 7 small beads.

9

Our Father

This prayer relays that we're the Lord's children and need His support. Say, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."^{[9]
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- Pray the Our Father on the first of the 2 large beads.

10

Hail Mary

These lines from the gospel of Luke praise Mary and the birth of Christ. Recite, "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.^{[10]
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- Recite the Hail Mary on the second of the 2 large beads.

11

The Mysteries of the Holy Ghost

Celebrate how God moved through the world in the body of Christ. The five Mysteries you'll meditate on when you pray the Holy Spirit Chaplet are as follows:^{[11]
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- The First Mystery: By the Holy Ghost is Jesus conceived of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Recite Luke 1:35: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
- The Second Mystery: The Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jesus when he was baptized. Recite Matthew 3:16: "Jesus, being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo! the heavens were opened to Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him."
- The Third Mystery: By the Spirit is Jesus led into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. Recite Luke 4:1-2: "Jesus, being full of the Holy ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert for the space of forty days; and was tempted by the devil."
- The Fourth Mystery: The Holy Ghost in the Church. Recite Acts 2.2: 4,11: "Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting....and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak....the wonderful works of God."
- The Fifth Mystery: The Holy Ghost in the soul of the just man and just woman. Recite 1 Corinthians 6:19: "Know you not that you members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, Who is in you?"

12

Apostles' Creed

This message teaches that there is only one God we must all follow. Announce, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting."^{[12]
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- Say the Apostles' Creed on the final large 2 beads in the rosary. Then pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary.

13

Fatima Prayer

Announce this brief recitation to meditate on God's forgiveness. Declare, "O my Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen."^{[13]
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14

Closing Prayers

Praise the Lord and Mary since they teach us about love and mercy. First, pray the "Hail Holy Queen" and say, "Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary."
- Then, announce the "Final Prayer" and declare, "O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation. Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us."^{[14]
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Community Q&A

Question

How can one speak in tongues?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Speaking in tongues is often considered a sign of incredibly strong faith. First, focus on praying to invoke the Holy Spirit. Pray all the Mysteries of the Rosary—including the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, and Glorious Mysteries—throughout the week. Commit to daily spiritual practice. Over time, the Holy Spirit may enter your body and allow you to speak in tongues.
Question

We pray each night as a group. We are debating should we pray the Come Holy Spirit before our devotional prayers or after?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

It's very effective to pray the "Come Holy Spirit" before your devotional prayers. That way, your congregation's hearts will be filled with faith and a love of the Lord.
Question

How do I ask the Holy Spirit of a man is a suitable partner for me? We are from the same faith group, age, similar interests and social circle;yet both have traumatic pasts.

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Try the Three-Day Miracle Prayer to the Holy Spirit. Meditate on your hope for clarity and seek God's wisdom regarding this man. Also ask for insight about how to bond with him and open up about your pasts. Then, pray to the Holy Spirit daily for three consecutive days. By the third day, you should receive an answer from the Lord.