"With all prayer and petition pray at all times" (Eph. 6:18).
As important as prayer is to your Christian life, you might expect Paul to
list it as another piece of spiritual armor, but he doesn't. Instead, he makes
it all-pervasive by instructing us to pray at all times. That's our spiritual
lifeline--the air our spirits breathe. The effectiveness of each piece of armor
is directly related to the quality of our prayers.
We see the importance of prayer throughout the New Testament. Jesus
instructed His disciples to be on the alert at all times, praying so that they
would have strength to face the trials and temptations that lie ahead (Luke
21:36). The apostles devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 6:4), as did godly
people like Cornelius (Acts 10:2). Every Christian is to be continually devoted
to prayer (Rom. 12:12).
In Philippians 4:6 Paul says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to
God." He told the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17) and
instructed men everywhere to "pray, lifting up holy hands" (1 Tim. 2:8).
Jesus and Paul not only exhorted believers to pray, but also modeled diligent
prayer in their own lives. Jesus often went for extended periods of time alone
to pray. Paul wrote often of his own fervent prayers on behalf of others (cf.
Col. 1:9; Philem. 4).
As a child, you may have been taught that prayer is reserved for mealtimes,
bedtime, or church services. That's a common misconception many children carry
into their adult years. But believers are to be in constant communication with
God, which is simply the overflow of seeing all of life from His perspective.
Just as you would discuss your everyday experiences and feelings with a close
friend, so you're to discuss them with God....
~John MacArthur, Drawing Near for September 27, 2013
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