Pray At All Times
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of his power. 11 Put
on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against
enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore
take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that
evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your
waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to
proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With
all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and
supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for
all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I
speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of
the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in
chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
This is not
an easy passage for some of us. Many struggle with the militaristic imagery. It
leads some to believe that we are warriors waiting to go on attack in a cosmic
battle with evil.
But let's
look at this passage as it connects with the rest of Ephesians. This is the
conclusion to the epistle's call to Christian unity and communal ethics. The
struggles of a life of faith are compared to battle and God's power to armor.
Paul is clear about the menacing might of evil. However, we are not called to
go on the offensive, rather each item of armor mentioned is defensive. Our call
is to "stand against" and to proclaim peace: the advice is entirely
about protection and resistance, not about aggression.
Lastly in
this passage, we are called to prayerfulness--not just when it's convenient,
not just when we get up early enough, not just when there are a few extra
minutes in our busy schedules. "Pray in the Spirit at all times."
This is not solely prayer for our own needs, but for the rest of the body of
Christ. Paul included himself as one in need of prayer.
I echo
Paul's words, "Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be
given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel...Pray that I
may declare it boldly, as I must speak" (verses 19, 20). Thank you for
your prayers for every aspect of our ministry at St. Timothy's and for our life
together as a community of faith.
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