“Praying at all seasons in the Spirit”


BIBLE READING: Ephesians 6

The apostle does not put praying among the Christian armor.  Had he done so he would have referred to it as he did all the rest, to some of the Grecian armor.  As he did not, we conclude that his account of the armor is ended and that having equipped his spiritual soldier, he shows him the necessity of praying in order to successfully resist those principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness, and rulers of the darkness of this world with whom he has to contend. The panoply, or whole armor of God, consists of the girdle, the breastplate, the greaves, the shield, the helmet, and the sword, a complete set of armor.
As was the custom of the Grecian armies before they engaged, they offered prayers to the gods for their success. The apostle also shows that these spiritual warriors must depend on the Captain of their salvation and pray incessantly, being always in the spirit of prayer, so that they should always be ready for public, private, or mental (all prayer), always depending on Him who can alone save, and who alone can destroy. When the apostle exhorts Christians to pray with all prayer, we at once see that he neither means spiritual or formal prayer in exclusion of the other. Praying refers to the state of the spirit as well as to the act.

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