Ephesians 6

Paul closes his letter to the Ephesians with a call to prayer. Prayer is the most difficult and the most misunderstood aspect of the Christian life.

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Prayer is hard work. What Paul has in mind cannot be accomplished by a few minutes early in the morning as you try to pray with sleep still in your eyes. Or, a few minutes late in the evening when your body is longing for sleep. While that may be better than no prayer at all, still it is like giving a hungry person a piece of stale bread. That may be better than no food at all, but certainly not a substitute for a good meal.

This is not the place to teach about prayer. Last summer I wrote a small book about prayer from Paul’s perspective. It is still available through the church office. (www.christumc.us) Here and now though, is a good time to reflect on whether your prayer life is consistent with the call to prayer Paul is making? If not, why not? A good barometer of our prayer life is to measure our prayer requests over and against the things Paul prayer for. Ephesians 6:19-20 is a good place to start looking:

“And pray for me, too.

Ask God to give me the right words

so I can boldly explain

God’s mysterious plan

that the Good News is for

Jews and Gentiles alike.

I am in chains now,

still preaching this message

as God’s ambassador.

So pray that I will keep on

speaking boldly for him,

as I should.”

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?