Ephesians 6:18-20 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (19) and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, (20) for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

It often seems that whenever we encounter difficulties in our lives, the last thing we do after we have exhausted all of our efforts and resources is to pray. Paul, in these verse that we know as “The Full Armor of God,” instructs us, after all of the other tools of the trade are given, that we are to pray. Unlike our method of “when all else fails, pray,” Paul is enveloping all of these with prayer. It isn’t as if we are told that if the belt of truth or the helmet of salvation aren’t enough then pray, he is saying in and through all of this that I just instructed you in, pray in the Spirit at all times, for all things. Paul is a man of prayer. Several times in this letter Paul is praying for the saints and giving thanks to God for all things. Pray is not a part of the armor, rather, it is a way of life that should happen in our home, at our workplace, while driving and while we are at rest… It should include thanksgiving and forgiveness, repentance and praises. Our prayers should be for ourselves and for others, always being done in the Spirit.

For most of us, pray is something we do on occasion with much difficulty. Rather than agonizing with loud cries and tears (Heb 5:7) we avoid the deepest level of intercession in order to maintain the greatest level of our own personal comfort. God wants us to be people of prayer. But in order to pray in the Spirit as Paul describes, we need to be broken before the Lord. Broken over our sin. Broken over the hurts and concerns of others. Broken over the pain and suffering that is brought on by the evil one… In order to be a man or woman of deep intercession we need to be people broken by the things that break the heart of God.

There is no formula for this type of prayer. You can’t learn it in a book or spend time at a weekend seminar. You simply must do it, even when the words don’t seem to come and the prompting from the Holy Spirit seems distant. Prayer and supplication with all perseverance is something that comes only when our hearts and minds are in tune to the Lord, our entire soul breaks for the hurt and needs of this world, and our knees are on the floor firmly planted until all is well with our soul. This is prayer, and all to often we avoid it and settle for our self centered one minute ritual that bears little fruit and changes virtually nothing in our lives or in the lives of others… (And I include myself in this)

Lord, I pray today that you will make me a person of fervent prayer. Amen