Pray for all of us

Image by sabarishr via Flickr

"Pray for all of us" By Diane Webb

Ephesians 6: 17, 18—"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto and with all perseverance and supplication for all saints".

If Christians prayed using the word of God at all times, on every occasion, and for all believers everywhere what an impact there would be on the world! What a difference it would make in each of our lives! According to Paul in Ephesians 6: 17 & 18; we are to pray in the spirit (silently) about everything all day long. Specifically, we are to pray for other believers all over the world. Have you ever prayed in the morning and felt really good about being covered for the day? Then, later in the day something happens and you react without thinking? Afterwards you realize it is not what God would have had you to say or do? Sometimes that one Morning Prayer just is not enough to get us through the day. Perhaps Paul understood the difficulty of maintaining our Christian walk when we are in the midst of this world. Obviously he realized how "under attack" Christians are. Our greatest protection is our salvation. Our greatest weapon is scripture. Combine scripture with prayer and you have tremendous power in the spiritual battles you face. The spiritual battles naturally manifest as encounters with people or other day to day situations. For some people the battle is in fighting their own thoughts or feelings. The words of scripture are extremely important to include in your prayers. These words are in the Bible for a reason and they are not just words when put together as they are in scripture. No matter what you face, there is a scripture that can help you as part of your prayer life to become the ultimate power you need. This is why it's such a great idea to memorize key scripture. The scripture can be used throughout the day as a silent prayer to get you through what you have to face. We are all facing some sort of personal battle all the time. Finding the scripture that helps you and using that scripture throughout your day until the problem is resolved is one way to work through and overcome your personal battle. Then, of course, there will be another personal issue to overcome. You can select another scripture to memorize and do the same thing over and over again. We always need a scripture to be meditating on and using throughout each day (or night for some). Which one you need or can use with what you are facing is unique to you and your situation. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you guidance in the selection of your word for the day (or week if you need the same one longer). The Bible repeats the theme of Paul's advice many times to ensure we get the message. We are advised to learn scripture to the point it is in our hearts (memorized and spontaneously recalled). We are to pray using scripture throughout the day. This is both our defense and our offense in times of trial. Why not spend today praying in the spirit for other believers all day? The power of two people praying in accord is specifically mentioned in the Bible (Matthew 18: 19). Imagine if ten, twenty, or fifty people were praying in accord today. We all need prayers and if, as believers, we remember to pray for each other all day, it will make a difference in how the day goes. This battle we are all in called life is a difficult one but if we stick together, perhaps we can all feel stronger and less alone.

Father, forgive me for anything that might hinder my prayer today; I pray, Lord, for all believers everywhere; help us all today to remember each other and to pray for each other. Give each of us the scripture we need today to face what each of us are facing. I ask in Christ's name, Amen.