Eld Chew Chong Kiat

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

1. Introduction

The apostle used six metaphors derived from the armour of a ready for warfare Roman soldier to depict six Christian graces (namely truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, hope and God’s Word) that a Christian soldier needs for spiritual warfare. Prayer is the seventh that stands in a place all by itself, not indicated by any figure or metaphor.  

2. What is the relationship between prayer and the rest of the armour?

Without God, the Christian soldier cannot stand against such great foes (Ephesians 6:12). He, therefore, must call upon God and engage His power as he employs each piece of armour in battle. He must never rest upon the armour in battle, although God had provided them. He is to acknowledge God for the strength against spiritual battles. Prayer is the powerhouse of the whole armour of God.  A soldier who lacks prayer will be prone to faint, grow weary, or abandon the fight when the battle gets hot and heavy.

Isa 40:29-31 “He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.”

The strength of the Christian lies not in himself or the armour but in God whose promises are infallible. Prayer connects the power of God to the weakness of man. And since with God nothing is impossible, prayer becomes the most powerful weapon a believer possesses. “...the man who can truly pray, though languishing in extremest distress, is richer than all besides.” (Chrysostom).

There is power in prayer. Only ask such things as you know are according to the will of God, believing and nothing wavering, and you will receive in due course if you faint not. (1John 5:14-15; James 1:6) No matter how skilful or experienced the Christian is in spiritual warfare or how complete his spiritual armour, if he neglects to pray, he can be sure of one thing – defeat. 

3. Principles of Prayer

The passage in Ephesians 6:18 teaches us several principles of prayer.

a) The Frequency of Prayer - “Praying always ...”

Prayer in times of calamity and need is not uncommon. But let us pray always, at all times. We must not stop praying but persevere and continue in it (Colossians 4:2). We are to be prayerful, praying in all things, in all our ways acknowledging God (Proverbs 3:6a).

b) The Variety of Prayer - “Praying always with all prayer and supplication...”

“All prayer” includes praise, thanksgiving, adoration, confession of sin, profession of faith, and intercession. “Supplication” or petition refers to a request for specific benefits. 

We may pray in private “in the closet”, as a family or in public. We may pray at the usual hour, whenever we are tempted, whenever we feel like praying, and especially when we don’t feel like praying. 

c) The Sphere of Prayer - “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit ...”

That is to pray with the help of the Spirit of God, who prays in perfect harmony with God’s will. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26) What a wonderful help we have! As we pray, He also prays for us to the Father.

d) The Manner of Prayer - “watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication...”

We are to be vigilant and watchful, for we live in perilous times (2Timothy 3:1). Our Saviour told the eleven disciples at the garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). They would undergo great temptation to deny the Lord and flee for their lives. Likewise, we need to watch and pray, otherwise we will be weak and unable to withstand temptations. We must also persevere and not give up till the Lord answers our prayers. Let us learn from the importunate widow (Luke 18:1-8). 

Making supplication is to make a request to God, seeking, asking with entreaty. “Let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:6b-7)

e) The Object of Prayer - “for all saints”

We are to pray for others as well. Doing so is vital for the health of the church body. When one part of the human body suffers, the rest comes to its aid and support. Likewise in the church body, we support one another by carrying one another’s burdens, even as each carries his own. Through this support, charity and care for one another are shown, and the burden gets lighter.   

Praying for others is also beneficial to self. When one is consumed with his own cares so that he does not pray for others, he will sink and feel overwhelmed by the billows of problems. But when he engages in prayer for fellow saints in the kingdom of God who are suffering, undergoing severe testing, shaken in faith, depressed, sinning, backslidden; for those outside the kingdom of God, those in leadership, those teaching and preaching (verse 19-20), he will be drawn out of his shell of problems and will be able to exercise faith to trust in God for his own problems as well.

Let us pray often as we put on the whole armour of God, that we may stand in the evil day.