EPHESIANS 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
When I hear this passage on THE ARMOR OF GOD, I often think of that hymn ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS. I think that is appropriate, if we remember what a soldier is. An armor is basically defensive, but a soldier is not just someone who defends himself. He also takes the offensive, going to battle to defeat his enemy. And in this listing, we are told that we have offensive weapons for our struggle. The sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, is one of our weapons. And although Paul does not describe it as such here, he lists another weapon: PRAYER.
Prayer is a powerful weapon, but like any other weapon, it is powerless if you do not use it. Paul urges us to offer all kinds of prayers and requests. We are to pray on all occasions, for all the saints, for the proclamation of the Gospel. We can pray and ask God to help us in all things, including our endeavor to live up to His commands.
The problem is that many Christians seem to think of God as a spare tire. It is something that lies in the trunk of your car, going unnoticed for months at a time, sometimes even seen as a nuisance when you are trying to put other things in the trunk. And then you have a flat on the road. Suddenly, that spare tire is the most important thing in your life. You want it to be in good condition, ready for use. We treat God that way, forgetting about Him, until there is an emergency and we run to Him for help.
That’s sad. We have tremendous power at our disposal always. God is always there, ready to answer our prayers. We can go to Him anytime. It doesn’t have to be earthshaking to get an audience with God. Whatever is on your heart, take it to the Lord in prayer. And prayer is more than a tranquilizer. It is a powerful force.
If you are part of a praying group of believers, it will show. Your prayers keep you close to God. Others will see you and realize that you have wisdom and understanding. They can look at you and know that our God is near to you. Stop right now to bow your head in prayer, going to Him with whatever is on your minds. And while you are praying, remember to thank Him that you can come to Him with your prayers.
