In this message we come to Eph. 6:18-20, which in particular covers the matter of prayer.
We have seen that the armor of God is composed of six items: the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the firm foundation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. When we are equipped with such a full armor, we can stand against the attack of the enemy and even take the offensive against him. After these items of the armor of God, Paul turns to prayer.
Verse 18 says, “By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit, and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.” The phrase “by means of all prayer and petition” modifies the word receive in verse 17. By prayer we receive both the helmet of salvation and the word of God. This indicates that we need to receive the word of God by means of all prayer and petition. We need to pray as we are receiving the word of God. We have seen that the whole armor of God is composed of six items. Prayer may be considered the seventh. It is the means by which we apply the other items.
The modifier “by means of all prayer and petition” in verse 18 is related to all six items of the armor covered in verses Eph. 14-17. It is by means of all prayer and petition that we gird our loins with truth, put on the breastplate of righteousness, and have our feet shod with the firm foundation of the gospel of peace. Furthermore, it is by prayer that we take up the shield of faith and receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Whenever we are about to put on the armor or to take up any item of the armor, we need to pray. We cannot and we should not attempt to use any part of God’s armor without prayer. Prayer is the unique way to apply the armor of God. It is prayer that makes the armor available to us in a practical way. For example, we may have the helmet of salvation, but it is prayer that makes this helmet available and prevailing. Therefore, prayer is crucial and vital.
In verse 18 Paul speaks not just of one kind of prayer, but of all prayer and petition. Prayer is general, whereas petition is particular. We should pray both in an ordinary way and, when necessary, in an extraordinary way, perhaps giving up sleep or food in order to petition the Lord concerning a certain situation.
In verse 18 Paul speaks of “praying at every time.” Some think the phrase “at every time” means simply every time we pray. To others it means all the time. To pray all the time corresponds to Paul’s word in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing.
In verse 18 Paul says specifically that we are to pray in spirit. This refers to our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God. It may be considered the mingled spirit — our spirit mingled with God’s Spirit. Whenever we are in our spirit, we are also in the Holy Spirit, for our spirit is one with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). Therefore, Paul’s charge to pray in spirit implies that we must also pray in the Spirit of God, for these two spirits are mingled in us.
In prayer, the main faculty we should use is our spirit. If our mind is overactive or if our emotion is not under control, we shall find it difficult to pray. When we pray, our mind should be at rest, and our emotion should be regulated, neither too hot nor too cold. According to my experience, I easily become distracted in prayer when my mind is preoccupied with other things. Likewise, when my emotion is not properly regulated, I find it difficult to utter something from my spirit in prayer. Hence, in order to pray in spirit, we need to be adjusted in our mind and balanced in our emotion. This requires a great deal of inward exercise.
Furthermore, if we would pray at every time in spirit, our will must be strong. A person with a will like a jellyfish cannot pray. It may seem that prayer is easy, but actually it is difficult. It is very easy to talk or read, but it is not easy to pray. This is the reason that prayer requires the exercise of our will.
A Christian must be a praying person. It is a sin not to pray. If you fail to pray for others, the saints or those in your family, you are sinning. However, not many Christians regard the lack of prayer as sin. We need to exercise our will to be people of prayer. For the sake of a proper prayer life, our mind must be sober, our emotion must be regulated, and our will must be strengthened. Then we shall be able to pray at every time in spirit.
In verse 18 Paul goes on to speak of “watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.” This indicates that we need to be watchful, on the alert, for this prayer life. We need to be on guard lest we be robbed of time that should be devoted to prayer. To be watchful in a practical way, many in the churches set aside specific times to pray.
To watch unto prayer implies that we exercise our will, calm our mind, and regulate our emotion in order to pray properly. It takes a considerable amount of exercise to make our mind, emotion, and will submissive and obedient. Because many do not practice this, their mind is rebellious. When they tell the mind to calm down, it becomes all the more active. Others have trouble with the emotion. We need to be those who exercise ourselves to such a degree that as soon as we have finished a long conversation we are able to pray. The need for such an exercise is implied in Paul’s word about watching unto prayer.
If we do not watch unto our prayer life, we shall lose time. Here and there throughout the day, our time will be wasted. We may lose time because our time is neither scheduled nor controlled. When we are at work, our time may be closely regulated. But when it comes to prayer, many do not schedule their time. As a result, much time which could be devoted to prayer is lost. If we do not redeem our time and grasp every available opportunity, much time will be needlessly lost. Although you may be very busy, do not use this as an excuse for not praying. If you place a high value on your prayer life, you will watch unto it and arrange time for it. No matter how busy you may be, you will still have time to pray.
According to the examples in the Bible, it is better to have more than one time set aside for prayer daily. For example, Daniel prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10). Also the psalmist spoke of praying in the morning, at noon, and in the evening (Psa. 55:17). If we build up the habit of praying at regular times every day, great blessing will be brought in. This blessing will affect not only our personal lives, but also the church, our neighborhood, and even our nation.
Paul charges us to watch unto prayer in all perseverance. To keep a prayer life we need all perseverance, a constant, persistent care. If you have set aside a certain time in the morning for prayer, then you need to persistently watch regarding this time. Do not allow any distractions. You may want to take the telephone off the hook for that period of time. If we are not persistent in watching unto prayer, the enemy will send in many distractions.
In verse 18 Paul also speaks of “petition concerning all the saints.” This indicates that we need to pray for the saints. In order to watch unto our prayer life, we need to pray in a particular way. This means that we should pray particularly for our watching unto prayer, that is, pray for our prayer life, for our prayer time. We also need to make petition concerning all the saints. Consider how much time is required to pray for the saints in your locality and for the saints in other cities and countries.
In verse 19 Paul continues, “And on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known in boldness the mystery of the gospel.” The Greek word rendered utterance also means word, speech, expression. Paul was asking the believers to pray that the word would be given to him. He desired to open his mouth with boldness to make known the mystery of the gospel. Paul needed both the word and the boldness to declare it.
The mystery of the gospel is Christ and the church for the fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose. Some Christians preach a gospel in which there is no mystery. But Paul declared the mystery of the gospel. This mystery implies the entire New Testament economy. Christ is the mystery of God, and the church is the mystery of Christ. Both Christ and the church are for God’s economy, which also is a mystery. All these mysteries are related to the gospel.
I believe that the Lord intends for a gospel preaching atmosphere to be developed in all the local churches. Pray for such an atmosphere to become prevailing. In our gospel meetings we must do more than sing and tell others that Christ can meet their need for satisfaction. On the contrary, we need to give full messages on the high things concerning God’s economy. Let us tell the unbelievers of God’s eternal intention. Do not underestimate their ability to understand. They may understand much more than you expect. Surely this kind of gospel preaching will draw unbelievers to the Lord.
In our gospel meetings we need to both preach and teach. We should teach in a preaching atmosphere. Surely the saints will want to bring their relatives and friends to this kind of meeting. Our burden is to make known the mystery of the gospel. Pray about this. Pray that the Lord will give us utterance and open our mouths with boldness to teach and to preach the mystery of the gospel. We all need to declare the gospel in this uplifted way.
In verse 20 Paul goes on to say, “On the behalf of which I am an ambassador in a chain, that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” Paul was an ambassador on behalf of the gospel. An ambassador is one sent by a particular authority to contact certain people. Paul considered himself an ambassador sent by God; he was one sent by the highest authority in the universe. However, he was an ambassador in a chain. The Greek word for chain is a term for the coupling chain, a chain which bound the prisoner to his guard. Paul’s desire was that in this coupling chain he might speak boldly. Although Paul was chained to the one who guarded him, he nevertheless desired to speak boldly, as he ought to speak.
