Once again Paul has brought
his readers back to the subject of prayer. Of course, several times in the
letter Paul has either broken into prayer or has mentioned prayer.
We can watch an interesting
progression. In 1:16 Paul says, "I'm praying/or you." In 6:18 he says,
"You pray for each other.” And in 6:19 he says, "You pray for me.”
Paul seems to have
understood what Owen Carr expressed when he said, ''A day without prayer is a
boast against God.” Here in Ephesians
6:18-20 Paul helps us find focus for those daily prayers.
[As I post this sermon,
President Trump is planning to declare tomorrow—Sunday, September 3—to be a
national day of prayer for those impacted by the hurricane and flooding in
Houston and along part of the Gulf Coast.
I hope you will pray. I have
lived in both Houston and New Orleans.
In fact, the picture of the men in a kayak at the corner of Braeswood
and Braesmont brought back special memories since my wife and I lived in an
apartment at that corner. The city will
be recovering for years. Its people—all
of them—need our prayers.]
When we think of prayer we
usually put it in the context of praying for ourselves. The Bible tells us to
pray for ourselves. There's nothing wrong with corning to God with our needs and
concerns. In a passage I frequently read to patients in the hospital,
Philippians 4:6, Paul writes,
Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Still, we would be surprised
if a letter which has spoken so often of the one new people of God were to omit
any discussion of how being part of that one new people of God should influence
the form our prayers take.
Our praying should reflect
our identity as the people of God.
As the people of God, how
should we pray?
I
OUR IDENTITY AS GOD'S PEOPLE IS REFLECTED AS WE PRAY FOR ALL GOD'S
SAINTS IN THE WORLD.
(VS 18)
If we are part of the one
people of God we ought to pray for all God's people.
Paul was continually
informed about the needs of God's people. This is reflected in the
letters. He never allowed himself to be
gripped by provincialism. His concern was not limited to the churches he
founded.
The divisions that might
separate us on Sunday morning shouldn't keep us from praying for our fellow
Christians.
Several years ago I visited
a church in Lubbock, Texas. I was
surprised when the pastor led the congregation to pray for another church in
town. Apparently they were going through
all the churches, praying for each one.
We ought to pray continually
for God's people.
Paul words imply we are to
"seize opportunities to [pray for the saints] with unwearied
perseverance." TCNT
To pray for other Christians
during the Lottie Moon emphasis, the Annie Armstrong emphasis, or the week or
prayer for Christian unity is not sufficient. The needs of all the saints ought
to always be one of our prayer concerns.
The churches have so many
needs that our prayers are continually in order.
Christians in other
circumstances have special needs that we don't always understand. Governmental
pressure, persecution, poverty, cultural traditions that are opposed to
Christianity may challenge them in ways we have escaped.
This is why it is necessary
to pray with the help of the Spirit.
The Living Bible reminds us
we should, "Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit's wishes ...
" In Romans Paul reminds us that we need the Spirit's help as we pray.
We need the Spirit to prompt
us to pray, to inform our prayers, to keep us disciplined in praying.
II
OUR IDENTITY AS GOD'S PEOPLE IS REFLECTED
AS WE PRAY FOR GOD'S AMBASSADORS IN THE WORLD
(VSS 19-20)
Remember where Paul was as
when wrote this letter?
Paul was in prison. Yet he
did not ask the people to pray for his comfort, his safety, or even his
release. Instead, he asked that somehow, despite his imprisonment, he might be
used to advance the gospel.
Despite his situation, his
understanding of his role had not changed. He was "an ambassador in
chains." We usually treat ambassadors with utmost respect, yet Paul wore chains.
He could have said, "Pray for my release so I can resume my important work
of speaking on God's behalf.” But he didn't because he had never abandoned that
work. He was just doing it in a
different venue.
The language suggests that
Paul hoped to preach the gospel to Caesar himself. We ought to pray that we,
either consciously or unconsciously, set no limits on where we will take the
message of salvation.
As we pray we should
remember God's ambassador needs courage.
The prison could be
intimidating, so Paul prayed for courage. The word translated
"boldly" has a twofold idea. (1) "outspokenness, frankness,
plainness of speech that conceals nothing and passes over nothing." (2)
"courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness, especially in the presence
of persons of high rank."
Paul was asking to be able
to speak with clarity, completeness, and courage--to whomever he might encounter.
It's essential to pray this way for the work of the ambassador of God.
Each of these elements is
important: We need clarity because there
is so much confusion about what the gospel really is, who God is, who Jesus is,
even who we are. We need completeness
because in our age of slogans we are tempted to reduce the message to a
tagline. We need to speak with courage
because we face so many critics who believe we are either fools or devils if we
proclaim the Biblical truth.
We need to pray for those
who seek to advance the gospel as God's ambassadors:
1) We should pray because
advancing the gospel can is demanding. Paul
knew the emotional and physical demands of preaching. (2 Cor. 11:24- 28)
2) We should pray because
advancing the gospel can be dangerous. In many nations those preaching the
gospel face angry enemies, some with murder in their hearts. Those seeking to advance the gospel need our
prayers.
CONCLUSION
No Christian can say, I can
do nothing for missions, nothing for the advance of the gospel, nothing for the
church, nothing for my pastor. You can pray!
How?
1) Systematically. Perhaps
you could pray for a nation or a continent a day.
2) Intelligently. Learn
about what is happening on the mission field, here at home.
3) Comprehensively. Pray for
"all the saints." For real human needs.
Prayer
by the whole people of God for the whole people of God will help us be do God’s
work in the world.
