February 7, 2023
Scripture: Ephesians 10:18-19 – “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. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
What it means
There’s a number of good points that the apostle Paul brings out in this passage of scripture. We’ve spoken extensively about the importance and power of prayer, not only on Sunday mornings during worship, but in our day to day lives outside the walls of church. We need to bring all of our needs and requests to The Lord “on all occasions” – in other words, constantly, all the time. No matter what we’re facing in life, we need to always have a constant awareness to lift it to The One who can always make our situations better. We also need to be alert to the needs and burdens of other people, and not always so focused upon our own situations. And finally, we need to be courageous (fearless) as we speak about Jesus to others who need to hear about Him.
What it means to me
I’m not certain what it specifically means to “pray in the Spirit” but suspect there must be an awareness that we are in the presence of The Father as we talk to Him in our prayers. We talked a few weeks ago about the fact that as we pray, we are literally approaching the throne of God – but it’s okay. We’re welcome to enter into His throne room anytime we feel the need to talk to Him. We’re always welcome – and as such, we have freedom to pray in the Spirit whenever we want to. So…whenever you’re troubled, whenever you’re happy, whenever you’re interceding on behalf on somebody else…”always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” He loves to talk to His children, and it always brings a smile to His face as we enter into His presence, on His throne.
Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!
In Christ,
Brian