The armour of God + … prayer!
Ephesians 6:18-20
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
These verses on prayer come directly after Paul’s famous ‘armour of God’ verses. It’s worth noting that prayer is really the final part of the armour of God which is positioned in this passage as a powerful culminating task.
We are instructed to ‘pray in the Spirit’, which leads us to know that there is a type of prayer that is not in the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit is to pray in harmony with the will of God which invokes God’s power boost to our prayers. It also makes sense that any prayers not in the Spirit (the will of God) will be ineffective.
There are few key takeaways that we can learn about prayer from this passage:
- We are to pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests. Know God and His word, so that you know how to pray in the harmony with His will.
- We are to be alert (aware) and keep praying for God’s people (not just the lost). That must mean that our prayers can and will have a positive impact on God’s people!
- Paul is asking for prayer for himself, so that is a signal to us to also be asking others to pray for us. It’s not weakness to ask for help.
- If the great Apostle Paul needed others to pray for him, then so do we. Don’t try to go it alone!
Lord God, we thank you for the privilege that you allow us to partner in prayer with You – may we remain aware of what a powerful partnership that we have when we pray. Help us to know Your word and Your Spirit so that our prayers are effective. May we not be too proud or embarrassed to ask for prayer from others.
Written by Shelley Witt