How To Pray Always!
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all
perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
Ephesians 6: 18
Paul concludes his description of the armor of
God with a mention of prayer. The explanation
for the addition of prayer lies in Greek grammar.
“Praying” is a participle, not a verbal imperative
command like “take the helmet” and “take the
sword” (Ephesians 6:17). For Paul, praying was
a means to accomplish previous instructions:
Put on the armor while
praying.
For Paul, prayer was akin to breathing. Just as
we don’t need to be commanded to breathe, we
shouldn’t be commanded to pray. And yet Paul
does, as a reminder, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17:
“Pray without
ceasing.”
Just as breathing is a continual exercise, so must
prayer: Pray all the time (“always”), with all prayer,
with all perseverance, for all the saints—the
four
“alls” of prayer. Coating spiritual armor in prayer
provides power and wisdom in spiritual battles.
How long can you live without breathing?
As
long as you live fruitfully without
praying.
"Believing prayer takes its
stand upon the faithfulness
of God."
D. Edmond Hiebert
