Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20
Speaker: Stephen Hong
Series: Together, We…
Together, We…Seek God’s Face And See His Hand At Work
I had chronic pain in my right knee. It’s infuriating and frustrating when nothing you do to it seems to fix the problem. After years of seeking different medical professionals, finally, last year, there was a breakthrough. The cause of the pain was not the knee itself but the weakness of my core muscles. The weak core caused a crooked posture, which led to strains in my lower back. Consequently, the lower back pulled different muscles connected to the knee to cause stubborn pain. Without strengthening the core muscles, I will continue to have a back and knee problem. Similarly, when we see the groanings of our world (the pandemic or the unrest and division in our nation), we must take the time to discern in the Spirit and be strengthen in the Lord.
Paul reminds the Ephesians that “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” (Eph 6:12). Without the Spirit, we cannot even see what we are against or even worse fight the wrong fight. So how can we “be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might” (6:10)? How can we stand against the scheme of the devil (6:11)? Together, we pray in the Spirit at all times, with all prayer and requests, for all the saints (6:18).
Together, we pray in the Spirit at all times (Eph 6:18a). See how many times Paul writes “all” in verse 18, which ends the powerful picture of the whole armor of God. The secret to clothing ourselves with the whole armor of God is found in the joy of deep communion with the Spirit in prayer. If we are not careful, we can pray without the Spirit leading us to be in step with our flesh. The result is ugly. We need to be in step with the Spirit at all times!
Together, we pray in the Spirit with all prayer and requests (Eph 6:18b). Our wrestling match also requires all types of prayer and supplication. Sometimes the Spirit will lead us into a silent listening prayer. Or the Spirit can move us into a deep groaning lament. Prayer requires us to be in total surrender and submission before God. Out of that place, in the Spirit, we can make all requests made known to God, knowing that the Spirit groans, and Jesus intercedes for us!
Together, we pray in the Spirit at all times, with all prayer and requests for all the saints (Eph 6:18c-20). The call to pray for all the saints is a weighty yet joyful call. It requires us to partner with the Spirit to be alert, awake, and bear the names of people in our hearts with all perseverance. The corporate nature of prayer essential to our faith and strengthening to stand against all the challenges that we face. Just as the groanings of birth pain lead to the joy of new life, the burdens of our prayer lead us to God’s power and glory in breakthrough.
So let us be strong in the Lord this coming week through prayers in the Spirit. We are in desperate need of His power and strength today. With all, let us seek Him at all times, with all prayer and supplication, for all the saints in all perseverance!