We are caught up in a life-and-death battle! Paul tells us so in his letter to the Ephesians. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:10-12 (ESV)

So, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:13 (ESV)

And then Paul instructs us to take up what C.H. Spurgeon called “The Master-Weapon: All-Prayer.” Battle readiness requires us to take up weapons, namely, the Shield of Faith, the Sword of the Spirit - The Word of God, and here in Ephesians 6:18, we see that one of our primary weapons is All-Prayer. Paul writes that we are to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication….”

We have this weapon, prayer, but we must take it up and use it in the fight! Spurgeon added that “we should be greatly wise if we used [this master weapon of All-Prayer] more, and did so with a more specific purpose.” Imagine the enemy’s war machines pouring over the hillside! The enemy’s strength is mighty, and the sound of war is deafening. If we then refused to pick up THE most powerful weapon in our possession, we’d be devastated! So it is in the spiritual battle that rages on right now! We desperately need to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might!” Take up All-Prayer and wield it! All-Prayer, used by the Christian, “has great power as it is working” (James 5:16, ESV) because this weapon is deployed in the power of the Spirit making the Christian all the more “strong in the Lord.” Prayer is powerful because the object of our prayer is All-Powerful!

Finally, we pray for each other and for the advance of our cause, the Good News of Jesus. The battle that is going on rages against our King, Jesus, and those that belong to Him, the saints. It rages against the advance of His Gospel. And all of this is going on while we, his saints, suffer loss, fight temptation, and sin, facing accusation by the enemy, weariness, distractions, desertions, fear, worry, and anxiety. “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:18-19

Wield this Master-Weapon, and pray “in the strength of his might.” Ephesians 6:10

- Tom

A Passion for Prayer - The Master Weapon: All-Prayer

Wield this Master-Weapon, and pray “in the strength of his might.” Ephesians 6:10