At the end of Ephesians, Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit at all times and on all occasions. In this context, what is the Greek for “pray in the Spirit”? I can pray in tongues, but my understanding is that this is a gift given according to the Lord’s discretion, but not to all believers. So when Paul tells the Ephesians to pray in the Spirit, what is he telling them?
The Greek phrase translated praying in the Spirit in Ephesians 6:18 means to pray with or by the Holy Spirit, letting Him help you in your prayers. This is what Paul meant by praying in the spirit. He also referred to this in Romans 8:26-27. There he said when we don’t know what to pray for the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in groans (sighs) that can’t be expressed in words.
When you say you can pray in tongues you’re probably referring something called a prayer language which is different from exercising the gift of tongues as described in 1 Cor. 14:27-28.