Watch and pray
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).
Lockdown has significantly restricted what we can do, but there is one thing we can always do: pray. I have been so encouraged by recent answers to prayer. Sometimes we learn that something has happened, and we immediately recognise it as an answer to prayer and give thanks to God. At other times it takes longer to sink in!
Prayer begins with worship:
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name.”
Prayer seeks God’s will:
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
Prayer seeks God’s provision:
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Prayer encourages forgiveness:
“And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.”
Prayer encourages holiness:
“And do not lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13).
Paul also teaches us to pray in a spirit of thankfulness: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Through prayer, we experience peace: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
The Lord Jesus teaches so much about how to pray for others. In Luke 22:31-32 He says: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you (plural), that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you (singular), that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” The Lord addresses Peter as Simon, indicating ‘the natural man’. He knew Satan was acting against all of His disciples; this has never changed. But the Lord Jesus prayed for Peter. He prayed for his faith, his recovery and his future service – for something Peter never believed he would do.
The Lord exhorts us to be “watchful”. He watched over His disciples like a shepherd watches over his flock. He anticipated danger and addressed it through prayer. Like Peter, we are capable of dreadful failure. It is so important that we are watchful in prayer for ourselves and for one another. Satan acts as an angel of light, as well as a roaring lion, and we need to be aware of his schemes (Ephesians 6:11). The Lord teaches us to be “watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”. Our prayers should be proactive as well as reactive. As we pray for the needs of others, the Lord Jesus deepens our understanding of these, and opens our eyes to further needs. In doing so, He brings before us the things that we can do.
Yesterday we read about the God of comfort who encourages us and, in doing so, enables us to help others. Prayer isn’t passive: it leads us into action. In Acts 16, when the Gospel first came to Europe, prayer is associated with the conversion of Lydia, the deliverance of the slave girl and the salvation of the Philippian jailor. Prayer is vital to everything we do, and it is a ministry every child of God is involved in. It takes us into the presence of God, and it attunes us to God’s heart, God’s mind and God’s will. It is where we start each day.
