Pray On All Occasions, All Kinds of Prayers! Ephesians 6:18-24

18 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.  Since this section is connected to the previous section in one long sentence, we might say "prayer" is another part of the armor of God.  There is a temptation for all of us to try and fight our own battles with our own strength.  Praying is essentially asking God to give you the power and strength to fight your enemy with God's power.   The power we get in prayer comes from the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us.  People sometimes worry about praying a perfect prayer or an intelligent sounding prayer, but all that matters is that it is a Spirit led prayer.   

19 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, Since Paul is in prison, he needs their prayers as well. Imprisonment was just another way for Paul to be a witness to the gospel.  It gave him essentially more credibility, because he had no reason to preach for personal gain. Paul literally asks for the words to be "given to him."  Though Paul was very knowledgeable and had preached many times, he still relied on God for every word he preached. 

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Paul saw his imprisonment as a way to be an ambassador for Christ.  An ambassador spreads good will on behalf of someone else.  Paul was God's ambassador, and he wasn't about to let him down even under these adverse circumstances. 

Final Greetings

21 Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.'22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.Paul sent Tychicus so that they might know what Paul was going through.  Paul wanted to make sure they knew that he was trusting in Christ even during this hardship.  He hoped this would encourage them and remind them that he really believed in everything he had taught them.  

23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Paul closes the letters with essentially the same words he used to start the letter.  Grace and peace are the two themes Paul consistently uplifts in all of his letters.  The grace we receive from God through Christ, his unmerited favor, leads us to peace with God in Christ.  Paul's experience of grace fueled his ministry and mission.  God's peace as he says in Philippians 4, "Guarded his heart and mind in Christ Jesus." The word for "guard" is the same word used for military sentry guarding a post.  When he prayed in every situation it gave him a "peace which surpasses understanding." 

How often do you pray?  Why do you think Paul left the power of prayer last?  What are the basic things Paul is encouraging us to pray for?  Do you pray for God to give you the words to say when you have an opportunity to witness for Christ?  There is no one way to pray.  Paul says pray on all occasions in all types of ways.  We can pray set prayers that the church has prayed, the Lord's prayer, or extemporaneous prayers led by the Spirit. The most important thing is to pray in the Spirit, because it is the Holy Spirit that prays through us and gives us the words to say when we don't have them! 

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