By Waylon Bailey
Prayer is at the heart of our Christian faith. In Scripture, we find many examples of prayer including and culminating with Jesus’ model prayer (the Lord’s Prayer). We also find exhortations to pray, and we find different aspects of prayer.
One of the great passages about prayer is Paul’s writing to the Ephesians. In this passage, Paul described prayer as essential to our living faithfully. As we pray urgently, fervently, and constantly, we equip ourselves for the onslaught that we receive from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Paul wrote these powerful words as encouragement for God’s people to pray.
“Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:18-20).
Here are some takeaways about prayer from this passage of Scripture.
First, prayer should be more “all” and less “some.” Notice that Paul uses “all” four times in Ephesians 6:18. We pray at all times with all prayer with all perseverance for all the saints. Substitute “some” for “all” and you can see the problem.
Most of the time we are “some” prayers instead of “all.” We must be all-in for how we pray.
Second, we must pray in the Spirit. While this might seem to some people as a suggestion, Paul understood the absolute importance of praying in the Spirit. We cannot truly know God apart from the Spirit of God. We, therefore, must pray in the Spirit, that is, with His guidance. In times of great distress, the Spirit utters intercession for us (Romans 8: 26-27).
Third, our prayer must be urgent, fervent, and constant. We need to pray at all times (constant), we must be alert to the evil one (fervent), and we must make supplication for all the saints (urgent).
Fourth, we must care for all the saints as we pray and seek God. I am reminded that to follow Christ is to be a member of His body. We each are vital parts of the bride of Christ. We must, therefore, pray for all the saints as we seek to follow Christ faithfully and make Him known.
Would you seek this week to be an “all” prayer?
Waylon Bailey is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Covington and president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board. This editorial first appeared on Bailey’s blog.
