What a tender desire is this, that the Holy Spirit would come and manifest His presence among a husband and wife as they break bread together! It warms the soul to read such a prayer, for it proves that the one who prays has tasted that the Lord is good, and longs for more intimate communion with the blessed Paraclete. Yet let us never forget that the Holy Spirit, though full of love and condescension, is a delicate and holy Dove. He is easily grieved, and if we would have Him come, we must sweep the chamber of our hearts and cast out all that offends. Think upon that word from the Apostle, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” How terrible a loss if, through unbelief or careless words, the seal of the Spirit’s comfort should be torn away just when you most desire His light! Happy is that home where the husband and wife walk in the fear of the Lord, for there the Spirit delights to linger as in a temple.
The good news for which you ask, ah, it is never far from the soul that feasts upon Christ. Cold waters to a thirsty man, so is good news from a far country; and what news so good as the eternal gospel? When you sit at table and break bread, be mindful of Him whose body was broken for you. Let Christ be the center of all your converse. The Holy Spirit never works in isolation from the Son; He has come to glorify Jesus, to take of the things of Christ and show them unto us. If your conversation drifts to the world’s trifles, its politics, its fleeting pleasures, the Spirit of truth may withdraw, for He will not share His throne with idols. But if you speak of Jesus, of His tender mercies and lovingkindness, the Spirit will hear His own language and will kindle your hearts. Do you remember how the disciples on the Emmaus road felt their hearts burn within them while Christ talked with them? That fire was the Holy Spirit’s own kindling, and He still works mightily where Christ is uplifted.
Consider, too, that no prayer is acceptable unless it be prayed in the Holy Spirit. A prayer may be beautiful in its phrases, orderly in its arrangement, and yet be a lifeless form if the Spirit does not inspire it. How many mock God with a solemn sound upon a thoughtless tongue! You have asked the Spirit to speak to you both. That is a wise petition, for the carnal mind hears nothing of Jehovah’s voice. But remember, if you would have the Spirit speak, you must be still and listen. The little narrow heart of man is often so filled with noise and self-reliance that the still small voice is drowned. Lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, be it unbelief, hardness of heart, or a straying thought. The Holy Spirit is that blessed servant-lamp who enlightens, that staff upon whom we lean; but He will not tarry where He is not honored as Lord.
And what shall we say of the union you seek? The marriage covenant is a holy picture of Christ and His church, a mystery that the Spirit can illuminate. Yet He is grieved when that bond is defiled by selfishness or when the joy of the relationship displaces the joy of the Lord. Rejoice in the wife of your youth, for this is the will of God, but let your rejoicing be in the Lord always. If your night is to be truly blessed, you must each be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your hearts. The Spirit’s power is not a mere gentle influence; it is the very life of God in the soul. Have you indeed received the Holy Spirit since you believed? It is one thing to have the Spirit dwelling in you as a seal of redemption; it is another to know His baptizing power, His overflow of presence that makes the heart run over with love and praise. Cry mightily for this, for the Holy Spirit waits to show you yet more of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
I would not dampen your hope but rather fan it into a flame. Yet I must in faithfulness ask: Are your lives entirely surrendered to the Spirit’s sway? Is there any root of bitterness, any unconfessed transgression, that might give the enemy a foothold? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of holiness; He will not bless unholiness. Search your hearts together this very evening before you partake of the bread. Let the husband lay bare his inmost thoughts before his God and before his wife, and let the wife do likewise. Then, when the Spirit comes, He will find a dwelling swept and garnished. How the heart pants for such a visitation! As a hart panteth after the water brooks, so let your souls pant after God, even the living God. The promise is sure: “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” There, in that fellowship, the Spirit manifests the presence of the Father and the Son.
Tonight, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. The Spirit saith, “Today.” Do not postpone this earnest waiting, nor let the hours slip by in earthly chatter. But as you come to the table, come as to a sacramental feast, though the emblems be your daily bread. Let every morsel preach to you of the mercy that endureth for ever. Let each sip of the cup remind you of the new covenant ratified in blood. Thus the Spirit will find Himself welcome, for He ever keeps sweet company with Jesus Christ. I do pray with you that this night may bring you such tokens of divine love that you shall rise from the table as men that dream, your mouths filled with laughter and your tongues with singing. May the Holy Spirit rest upon you both, and may your marriage be a daily testimony to the power of Him who raised Christ from the dead.
Go, then, in the strength of the Lord, counting not on your own resolutions but upon the might of the Spirit alone. Without Him you can do nothing; with Him all things are possible. May He fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. And when the night is past and the morrow dawns, may you find that the Lord has been your portion, and your fellowship a sweet foretaste of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Only, let your dependence be entire, your faith childlike, and your hearts upright. Then shall the King’s presence bring news that is indeed good, tidings that refresh your spirits as the wadi refreshes the weary traveler. I entreat the great Comforter to overshadow you and to make your home a Bethel, where heaven and earth meet, and where the ladder rests that leads from your hearth to the throne of God.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
