Praying, Praying, Praying
Praying at All Times
When Paul says, “Praying always,” he encourages believers to pray all the time (Eph 6:18). He further portrays this as “being watchful,” which means to “stay awake.” He also portrays this as “with all perseverance,” which means, “to be persistent.” To take this emphatic encouragement to heart, a believer should learn to pray in a regular and ongoing manner.
This means, of course, that a believer should not confine his or her prayers to fixed, routine spots on the daily schedule, such as morning devotions, meal times, or family altar (though these would certainly be included). This does not mean, however, that a believer must remain in a constant, unbroken stream of consciousness mode, praying every moment of every day. To pray “always” in a “watchful” and “persistent” way, then, means that a believer must remain on regular alert for the need to pray at any moment. Just as a truck driver must remain alert to signage, road conditions, and surrounding traffic patterns, the believer must remain on constant alert for the need to pray.
To live and pray this way requires the believer to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, which Paul mentions. This “praying in the Spirit” refers to how God interacts with a believer in a personal way. Though this personal interaction is difficult to describe and is somewhat subjective, it is real nonetheless. As such, it is important that a believer develop an intimate awareness of the Word of God, which is the “sword of the Spirit” that Paul mentions previously (Eph 6:17). So then, the Spirit will prompt a believer to pray in a way that is consistent with the teaching of Scripture, which he inspired (2 Pet 1:21). Furthermore, it is Scripture which makes possible the specific, internal guidance that every believer needs (Heb 4:12-13).
Praying All Kinds of Prayers
By mentioning “all prayer and supplication” and “with all supplication,” Paul is not describing two types of prayer, whether prayer or supplication. Instead, he is speaking in an umbrella fashion, referring to prayer in general. Prayer means, “To ask for something.” Supplication means that you “know you have a need.” Therefore, Paul is teaching the believer to pray out of need, not out of ritual. This sense of need likely refers to a mindset that acknowledges a perpetual, personal need for God. It also likely refers to the various tangible and momentary needs that arise.
When a believer remains alert for the need to pray, he or she will become aware of a need for prayer throughout the course of a day. Acknowledging this will be the result of viewing life as Scripture teaches and being aware of promptings from the Holy Spirit. When these moments of awareness and need occur, the believer should respond with prayer, all kinds of prayer: quick prayers, long prayers, urgent prayers, thankful prayers, sorrowful prayers, joyful prayers, quiet prayers, out-loud prayers, individual prayers, group prayers, repeated prayers from Scripture, or prayers composed from your heart. The believer who remains on constant alert to pray will pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of needs.
Praying for All Believers
As a believer prays for all kinds of needs, he or she will do this not only for himself (or herself), but for other believers also. Have you noticed that God occasionally “reminds” you about another brother or sister in Christ at random moments in the day (or night)? Perhaps you are eating lunch and a friend from church comes to mind, or perhaps this happens when you’re standing in a checkout line or trying to go to sleep at night. Maybe you know what this person is going through or maybe you do not. How do you respond to these moments of awareness? Are you alert to pray?
In either case, this is a good example of learning how to pray for all believers. Thank God for this person. Ask God to give strength or wisdom, peace or joy to this believer. Pray for this one specifically (if you know the need) or generically (if you do not know the need). This may be a believer in your family or in your church. It may be a believer from another church, or perhaps a pastor or missionary ministering somewhere else in the world. It may be a believer doing well spiritually, or perhaps it is not. You may not even know the name of the person who has come to mind, but you can still pray for God to meet whatever need this fellow believer may have. When you are unaware of what to pray, then pray the best that you know how and trust the Holy Spirit to make up the difference (Rom 8:26).
Thomas Overmiller serves as pastor for Faith Baptist Church in Corona, NY and blogs at Shepherd Thoughts. This article first appeared at Shepherd Thoughts, used here with permission.
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