"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Ephesians 6:18
Some people will say that the armor is what needs the prayer, as mentioned in the verse above. However, if you read the entire passage again, the armor is a blessing from God, placed directly upon us for use. It is called "the armor of God" for a reason, and it should never be mistaken that this armor needs no prayer at all... but the one wearing it does!
Please don't take this the wrong way, friends, but no matter how close to good we get in life, covered in Spiritual armor, bearing and cultivating Spiritual fruit, there is still an ever-present possibility that we will fail. There is still a chance we will fall. The armor cannot fail, but we can remove it. The fruit cannot fail, but we can choose not to cultivate it. We need prayer. We need it to be from someone who is in the Spirit. We need it all the time. We need it for everything.
My pastor, a wise and blessed man, told us once (and I believe I mentioned this earlier in the Fruit portion of this study) that we are not "good people who occasionally do bad things." We are, absolutely, "bad people who occasionally do good things." To put a finer point on it, from my perspective, we are lost, wretched, blinded, wandering, nonsensical fools who very, very rarely stumble close enough to the semblance of a good thing to call it kind of our own. I know that sounds bleak, but if God is good, and we certainly do not equal Him, then how far away from good are we really? Beloved ones, we NEED prayer.
And being "in the Spirit" simply means that we are praying for the will of God first! The song says aptly that we should seek FIRST the will of God, and then all things will be added unto us. And when we pray, there is nothing wrong with praying for healing or rest or reprieve or blessing... but we must begin with the admonition, "if it be Your will." And then we pray in the proper heart and mind, placing us in the Spirit as we seek the will of God for others, as well as for ourselves. Please note, also, that it says to pray for ALL the Lord's people. That includes the ones you don't like, just as it includes the ones I don't like. It doesn't matter if we like them or not: our duty is to pray for them, and for the will of God to flourish in their lives.
Most importantly, and I can never stress this enough, is what the verse says about how often to pray. "On all occasions," and "always" are trhe words used here. Our prayers for the people of the Lord should NEVER EVER STOP!!! They should never stop, ever. They should be constant as the northern star. And some would ask why this is necessary... because we NEED prayer! The power of prayer is too great to ignore, and we are not capable of survival without it, not if we are to live as Christ (or as close to it as we can) would have us live. Prayer is a must, and it is not a request here; it is a command.
Take time today to focus on the amount of time you spend in prayer. Whether it is general prayer for all the believers in the world, for all the sick and lonely and destitute, or if it is specific prayers from a list and a schedule like some dear friends of mine are faithful to follow each day, look at it and ask youself if it is enough. And be honest with yourself, because God already knows the answer. Be certain that your prayers never cease, and that they are for the will of God first, and honor the Lord in doing so!
God bless you all!!!
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