Ephesians 6:18-19
At the weekly gatherings we hold in our church, I often invite everyone to say aloud together the following words from the letter to the Ephesians:
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 Lord’s people.
Pray also for me,
that whenever I speak,
words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known
the mystery of the gospel… (Ephesians 6:18-19)
Over time these verses became our prayer motto. And I consider them very fitting, because they cover a fairly wide range of the Christian’s prayer life. The teaching that follows is an attempt at an exposition, based on each of the clauses of this “prayer motto.” It is not meant to be delivered in a single service, but rather to be divided into parts and shared little by little across a series of prayer meetings.
Praying in the Spirit
First, we are told here that our prayer must be “in the Spirit.” This means that it must be inspired, motivated, and spoken with the help of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:26 the apostle Paul admits on behalf of us all that on our own we cannot pray “as we ought,” and this is why we need the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)
In general, the Holy Spirit is at our disposal to help us in every prayer. But beyond this, in Paul’s letters we see several kinds of prayer that are expressly said to be “in the Spirit.”
Prayers in the Spirit
Intercessory Prayer in the Spirit (Romans 8:26-27)
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
Notice that here we are told the Spirit intercedes through our “wordless groans.” If this is something that cannot be expressed in words, then what is it? Even when we do not understand what we are saying as we suffer and groan, God knows what the Holy Spirit has in mind, because He prays and intercedes for our needs through our groaning. Although this prayer may not seem intelligent to us, it is a kind of conversation of God with Himself — a sharing between God the Holy Spirit, who is in us, and God the Father, who is in heaven. And such a conversation, first, could not be misunderstood, and second, could not be anything other than according to God’s will. Therefore, such a prayer could not remain unanswered.
Speaking to God in Unknown Tongues (1 Corinthians 14:2)
2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 14:2)
Another kind of prayer that of necessity must be in the Spirit is prayer in an unknown tongue. In the Acts of the Apostles we see that speaking in an unknown tongue is the initial sign of baptism with the Holy Spirit (the long-term sign is the fruit of the Spirit). Those who were then baptized in the Spirit received the supernatural ability to speak in unknown tongues. This was repeated at Pentecost (Acts 2:4); in the house of Cornelius (10:45-47); and with the Ephesian believers who until then knew only John’s baptism (19:6). In all these cases we see that an “unknown tongue” is a language a person has never learned. It could be a spoken language — like those the apostles spoke at Pentecost (Acts 2:6-11) — or an “angelic tongue,” a language not used by human beings (1 Corinthians 13:1), yet still understood by God.
According to the apostle Paul, when a person speaks in spiritual tongues, he does not grasp the meaning of what he is saying (1 Corinthians 14:14):
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. (1 Corinthians 14:14)
Although he does not understand exactly what he is saying, the one praying in tongues is confident that it is something good and beneficial. This confidence flows from his complete trust in God. We find encouragement in this regard in Luke 11:11-13:
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)
If we have trusted God to fill us with the Holy Spirit, He will not permit unclean powers to interfere in our prayer. That is why we are confident that what we say is from God. And our experience is that when we pray in tongues, it strengthens our faith and builds us up spiritually. This agrees with New Testament teaching, for in 1 Corinthians 14:4 we read:
4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. (1 Corinthians 14:4)
And in Jude 20:
20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 20-21)
From the original Greek it becomes clear that when Jude tells us to pray “in the Holy Spirit,” it is not a matter of our prayer being addressed to Him, but rather of praying “in the Holy Spirit,” “through the Holy Spirit,” or “with the help of the Holy Spirit” to God the Father.
“I Will Pray with My Spirit, I Will Also Pray with My Understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:13-17)
From 1 Corinthians 14:17 we understand that, besides interceding before God for us (Romans 8:26-27), the Holy Spirit can also give thanks to God through us.
16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified. (1 Corinthians 14:16-17)
Here the apostle Paul teaches the Corinthians that the purpose of the manifestation of the spiritual gifts is not for the one who practices them to feel good or to become proud of his spirituality, but for those present at the gathering to be inwardly built up by the words of the one leading the prayer. Thanksgiving spoken in an unknown tongue is truly good, but it does not meet the condition of intelligibility. For there to be blessing in the gatherings, everyone present must understand what is actually happening at the moment.
The apostle Paul shares that he himself spent a great deal of time in private prayer in unknown tongues (1 Corinthians 14:18):
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. (1 Corinthians 14:18)
In addition, he restrains those who would want to stop the practice of praying in unknown tongues altogether (1 Corinthians 14:39-40):
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. (1 Corinthians 14:39-40)
But despite his support and his conviction that speaking in unknown tongues is a gift from God, he insists that in the gathering things be spoken intelligibly. This is why, according to him, the gifts of interpretation of tongues and of prophecy are “greater” than the gift of speaking in tongues — because the words spoken when they are manifested can be understood by those present. The guidance the apostle gives on this matter is the following (1 Corinthians 14:13):
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. (1 Corinthians 14:13)
According to him, a short prayer in an unknown tongue should be followed by a prayer in a known language that interprets what was said in the unknown tongue (1 Corinthians 14:15).
15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. (1 Corinthians 14:15)
In this verse “prayer with the spirit” means prayer in an unknown tongue, and “prayer with the understanding” means prayer in an intelligible language. The fact that a given prayer is spoken “with the understanding” does not mean it is not “in the Spirit,” because most of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are actually manifested in a known language — that is, spoken “with the understanding” of the believer.
In any case, when we pray we must wait for the words the Holy Spirit puts in our heart, and our prayers — whether in a known or an unknown tongue — must be “in the Spirit.”
On All Occasions
Just as preaching and exhortation must be done “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2), so prayer must be “unceasing.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 it says:
17 pray continually, (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
I do not think this means praying twenty-four hours a day, but rather that our prayer life should be continuous — that we never lose the habit of praying. The passage from the letter to the Ephesians that we are considering is part of the description of the “armor of God.” In it the apostle Paul uses military terms to convey spiritual truths. And now he encourages us to pray in the Spirit “on all occasions.” This means keeping a continual “battle readiness,” since we do not know when the “day of evil” will come (Ephesians 6:13). To maintain such prayer readiness, on the one hand we should abide in prayer through all the circumstances we pass through, regardless of our mood. On the other hand, we should pray several times a day. From God’s Word we see that observant Jews had the custom of praying three times a day (Psalm 55:17).
17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. (Psalm 55:17)
In Daniel 6:10 we read that, despite the ban on praying to any god or man except King Darius, Daniel continued to follow his custom and to kneel before God three times a day:
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. (Daniel 6:10)
Daniel had the habit of praying “on all occasions.” That is why, when the “day of evil” or the day of testing came for him, he was able to endure it and to win the spiritual battle.
In the Acts of the Apostles the third hour, or three o’clock in the afternoon, is expressly called “the hour of prayer” (Acts 3:1):
1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer — at three in the afternoon. (Acts 3:1)
This shows us that it is good for us too to have a set hour reserved for meeting with God. In the Psalms we see that a good time for prayer is early in the morning and in the evening before bed. In Psalm 5:3 it says:
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)
With All Kinds of Prayers
There are all sorts of kinds of prayer.
Kinds of Prayer
Petition
This is the most elementary kind of prayer. Even unbelievers pray this prayer when they want something good to happen to them — and God often answers them.
Repentance
We pray this prayer when we desire God to forgive our sins and to restore our relationship with Him. Perhaps the best example of a prayer of repentance in the Word is Psalm 51.
Thanksgiving
We must never forget to thank God after we have received something from Him — and even before. In Philippians 4:6 it says:
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Praise
The Psalms are full of prayers of praise to God. For example, in Psalm 119:164 it says:
164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:164)
The Hebrew word for glorifying God is “Hallelujah!” It means “Praise Yahweh!” or “Praise the Lord.” As we draw near to God, we most often praise Him for what He has done in our lives.
Worship
In the prayer of worship we simply stand before God and marvel at His holiness. He is so wonderful, so great and glorious, that there are moments when we simply stand in His presence and delight in Him.
Communion
Communion is a kind of prayer in which we converse with God. God’s will for prayer is that it be a two-way connection, that we have mutual sharing with God. We share our heart with Him, and He shares His plans and will with us. In the prayer of communion we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and receive guidance from God.
Intercession
This is one of the highest kinds of prayer, but we will not dwell on it now, because a little further on we will examine it in more detail.
Request
In the New Testament there are two Greek words translated “prayer” — “proseuche” and “deesis.” Both occur in our text. “Deesis” is the more specific of the two, and here it is rightly translated “request.” A request is a petition or an appeal for the meeting of an urgent need. That is, in this prayer we voice our specific needs and ask God to answer them. But what are the conditions for a request to be heard?
Conditions for Answered Prayer
1. A clear conscience
In 1 John 3:21-22 the apostle says:
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. (1 John 3:21-22)
If we have a guilty conscience, we will hardly have the boldness or the “eyes” to turn to God. Therefore, if we want our prayers to be heard, we must guard ourselves from every evil deed (Deuteronomy 23:9). In Psalm 66:18 it says:
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; (Psalm 66:18)
Spiritual purity is maintained by the confession of sins. That is why in Psalm 51:2-4; 7-11 David prays:
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalm 51:2-4, 7-11)
2. Agreement with God’s will
For a prayer to be heard, it must be spoken according to God’s will (1 John 5:14-15).
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)
Here I would like to say that very often we wriggle out of responsibility by saying at the end of our prayer, “if it is God’s will.” The truth is that we must understand what God’s will is for a given need and situation before we begin to pray, not afterward. This is why a good practice, when we pray, is to find a verse or passage from God’s Word on which to stand — a text that reveals that what we are asking is according to God’s will. For example, when I anoint with oil for healing, in my prayer I always quote James 5:14-15:
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15)
By saying these words I release my faith that prayer and anointing for the healing of the sick person is God’s will, and I believe that God will indeed raise him up and heal him. This is how we should deal with all our needs — to seek a verse on the basis of which to bring our requests to God.
3. Faith in God
Faith is what makes a given request a prayer. Without faith, prayer would be only a complaint or the expression of a good wish. In Mark 11:22-24 Jesus teaches us to pray with faith.
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:22-24)
Jesus demonstrated everything He said by His actions toward a fig tree (Mark 11:12-14).
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. (Mark 11:12-14)
In this case Jesus cursed the fig tree. This was strange, because Jesus was speaking to a tree. But evidently He believed that what He said would come to pass. The next day they again passed by the fig tree, and behold, it had withered (Mark 11:19-21).
19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” (Mark 11:19-21)
Besides being a symbol of God’s people Israel, this fig tree was an object lesson in how to pray with faith. It did not wither the moment Jesus cursed it. Time was needed for what Jesus’ words accomplished in the spiritual world to become visible in the material one. It is the same with our prayer. If it is spoken in faith, we must be sure that God has answered, even if at the moment nothing of what we asked can be seen. Sooner or later it will happen, because prayer with faith changes things “from the root.” We must not forget, however, that the source of power is not our words, or our will, or our suggestion. The source of power is God. This is why Jesus said, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).
4. A forgiving spirit
For a prayer to be heard, faith is necessary but not sufficient. A forgiving spirit is also needed. Jesus continued His teaching on praying with faith with the words (Mark 11:25-26):
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. (Mark 11:25)
This is a general teaching that is repeated both in the Lord’s Prayer (“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”) and in the letters of Paul and Peter.
In 1 Timothy 2:8 the apostle Paul commands:
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. (1 Timothy 2:8)
The apostle Peter, for his part, emphasizes that damaged relationships in the family can also be a serious obstacle to receiving an answer to our prayers (1 Peter 3:7):
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)
5. Right motives
Prayers spoken out of envy, sin, or rivalry will not be heard. Therefore, when we pray, we must always ask ourselves the question: “Why do I want what I want?” In James 4:3 it says:
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:3)
In the modern translation of the New Testament it says (James 4:1-5):
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? (James 4:1-5)
If our desire is to have something merely out of a whim, or because we do not want to fall behind the worldly current, we should not be surprised that God does not answer us. If God knows that we want something that in one way or another will separate us from Him, He will hardly give it to us! Above all, our prayers must be for things that advance the gospel and the kingdom of God.
6. Earnestness
In James 5:16-18 it says:
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. (James 5:16-18)
Do you remember how Elijah prayed for rain? In 1 Kings 18:41-45 we are told what happened after it had not rained on the land for three years — something that was a victory of Yahweh over Baal, who was considered the god of rain:
41 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. (1 Kings 18:41-42)
Elijah’s kneeling and putting “his face between his knees” reveals the intensity of his prayer. Although he had prophesied that rain was coming, he still began to pray for the fulfillment of the prophecy. This shows us how important prayer is.
43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” (1 Kings 18:43)
Elijah did not receive an answer to his prayer at once. But did this discourage him? No, he kept praying more and more earnestly, until at last the answer came.
44 The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:44-45)
The account of the prophet Elijah is truly a wonderful example for us — an example that encourages us to be earnest in prayer.
Knock Like This, and It Will Be Opened!
Once a scholar went on business to a monastery. He stood before the great monastery gate and knocked. No one opened for him. He knocked several more times, but with no result. Yet he knew that there is always someone in a monastery. So he decided to knock at the door until they opened. Only on the fiftieth knock did he hear someone turn the great key, and the door opened. “It seems you are in no hurry at all to open for your guests,” the scholar said with displeasure. The monk replied: “Ill-mannered boys often come here. They knock and then run away. That is why we open only to those who knock a long time. By this we know that they truly have a desire to come to us.”
If you want the “door” to be opened to you and to receive an answer to your prayer, then be persistent and knock until they open. This is what the Lord Jesus said in Luke 11:5-10:
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Luke 11:5-10)
7. Identification
Finally, for it to be heard, prayer must be spoken “in the name of Jesus.” In John 16:23-24 Jesus speaks of the request addressed to the Father:
23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:23-24)
And in John 14:13-14 Jesus spoke of prayer addressed to Him:
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (John 14:13)
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:14)
What is common to both cases is that our prayer — both to the Father and to the Son — must be in the name of Jesus. Of course, the words “in the name of Jesus” must not be used as some kind of magic formula, because we know what happened to those who tried to use them in that way (Acts 19:13-17).
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. (Acts 19:13-17)
Before we begin to use the mighty name of Jesus, we ourselves must become His!
Being Watchful in This
In the New Testament we see that prayer is very often connected with watchfulness. Many times Jesus says the words: “Watch and pray!” Why watch?
- Because prayer makes us strong against temptations (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38);
- Because prayer helps us not to fall away from the faith (Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:33, 35);
- Because prayer helps us avoid trouble (Luke 21:36).
With Tireless Perseverance
It can be observed that when we pray, our prayer often passes through three phases. The first of these phases is desire. Prayer is a voluntary act. It cannot be done by force. God loves those who seek Him gladly.
The second phase of prayer is discipline. There are moments when “we no longer feel like praying,” but we must continue. And this is exactly where “tireless perseverance” belongs. In Colossians 4:2 it says:
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)
Prayer is spiritual work. An example of this in God’s Word is Epaphras. In Colossians 4:12-13 it says:
12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. (Colossians 4:12-13)
The “labor” of Epaphras is probably his concern and anxiety for the spiritual condition of the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis. This “labor” of his was expressed in his constant, earnest prayers for them.
In Luke 9:32 it says that when Peter, James, and John were on the mount of transfiguration, where they had gone up to pray, they fell asleep. But Jesus continued to pray, and God’s glory came down on that mountain.
32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. (Luke 9:32)
Prayer is hard work. Very often, just when we ought to do it, we grow sleepy. But if we wake from our sweet sleep and begin to pray, we will see God’s glory, and He will reveal incredible things to us!
If we continue to pray before God with discipline, we will come to the third phase of our prayer life — a phase in which prayer stops being work or a burden and becomes a delight. Then we are ready to say, as Peter did: “Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let us put up three shelters and stay here forever!” (Luke 9:33). When we reach this phase, we begin to rest in the Lord, and our prayer becomes exceedingly effective.
Here the principle of the carousel applies. The closer we are to the center, the less effort is required to stay on it. The farther out toward the edge of the carousel we are, the stronger the centrifugal force that throws us off. The more we pray, the higher the level of prayer life we will be on, and the more prayer will be for us not a burden but a pleasure.
And Praying for All the Saints
Here is the place of intercession. Intercession is one of the highest kinds of prayer, because in it we do not pray for ourselves, but for others.
The Five-Finger Prayer
One of the ways to pray for others is to use the “five-finger prayer.”
1. The thumb is the main finger of the hand — without it the hand cannot grip. Moreover, if you hold up your hand, it is the one closest to you. So begin your prayer by praying for those who are nearest to you — your family and friends. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for them is a “sweet duty.”
2. The next finger of the hand is the index finger. It reminds us of those who teach, advise, encourage, and show us which way to go in life. These are our doctors, teachers, lawyers, and ministers. In this category fall also the pastors, who point us to the way of Christ. They need support and wisdom so that they do not err, but always point in the right direction. So let us not forget to mention them in our prayers.
3. The middle finger is the longest of all. When we hold up our hand, it stands tallest. This finger reminds us to pray for those who are highest in the hierarchy of power — the president, members of parliament, ministers, business people, and senior administrators. These are the people who shape the policy of our country and direct public opinion. May they do their work under the influence of God and not of our adversary. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 the apostle Paul writes:
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
4. The ring finger, as any piano teacher would confirm, is the weakest of all. Yet it is precisely on it that we wear our ring. This reminds us that the weak and the sick must be surrounded with love. This finger should remind us to pray for people who are sick or in special need. They need constant prayer. Let us never forget to bring them before God.
5. And finally comes the little finger — the smallest of all the fingers. It reminds us of the place where we should put ourselves in relation to God and to others. It teaches us humility. This finger should remind us to pray for ourselves and to maintain a right attitude toward God and people. During the time we have spent praying for the needs of the first four groups of people, we will be able to see our own needs in the right perspective and will be able to pray for ourselves best of all.
The Key That Opens Every Door
I first heard this teaching from Pastor Iliya Apostolov somewhere around 1986, in a house group in Burgas. He began by explaining the roles of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, emphasizing His present-day ministry as Intercessor (Hebrews 7:25).
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
Brother Iliya went on, telling of a vision of a certain believer who, in prayer, saw Christ on a hill. Around Him was a large group of people. What was interesting was that around the necks of both Christ and the people around Him hung keys, similar to apartment keys. Christ’s key had three teeth, which were perfect and very clearly defined. The teeth on the keys of the people around Him were more or less imperfect. The keys of those who were farther from Him had only one or two teeth, while the keys of those who stood closer to Christ had three teeth, but of different sizes. When asked what all this meant, this believer received the answer that this is the assembly of the intercessors. Christ is the perfect and chief intercessor, and that is why He is in the middle and lifted up at the top of the hill. The people around Him are the other intercessors. The keys around all their necks represented intercessory prayer. It is the key that opens every door. But whether the key will fit the corresponding lock depends on the shape of its teeth. They represent the way in which intercessory prayer must be spoken — with love, humility, and faith. Love, humility, and faith. These are in fact the qualities of the intercessor. In Christ they are full and perfect. Out of love for us He went to the cross. In humility He left His glory in heaven and became obedient unto death. In faith He endured the shame, the pain, and death, and rose from the dead.
Love, Humility, and Faith
As necessary qualities of the intercessor, these three virtues are seen in two examples — one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. First we see them in Abraham’s intercession for his nephew Lot (Genesis 18:16-33). Of course, Abraham had love for his nephew Lot, so that he interceded for him before the Lord when God revealed to him that He had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. (Genesis 18:16-22)
When he learned of God’s intention, Abraham drew near to God and began to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of his nephew Lot. His intercession was based on God’s character and His glory.
23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing — to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:23-25)
God listened to Abraham:
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” (Genesis 18:26)
Perhaps Abraham doubted that there were fifty righteous people in Sodom, and this is why he gradually began to lower the number. He did all this, however, with special humility:
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” (Genesis 18:27-28)
This is humility. With God we cannot allow ourselves familiarity. He is God, and we are “dust and ashes.” And if Abraham — a patriarch and friend of God — had this attitude, how much more should we, even though we are “children of God.” And so, Abraham had love, he had humility, and he also had faith. He managed to prevail upon God to agree to lower the minimum number of righteous people for whose sake He would spare Sodom — from fifty to ten.
29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home. (Genesis 18:29-33)
Why did Abraham stop at ten? We do not know. Did he lack the faith to keep lowering the number? Or did he think that Sodom could not fail to have at least ten righteous people? We do not know. In any case, from the next chapter we learn that God brought Lot out of Sodom by force. He would not destroy the righteous with the wicked. What is more, for Lot’s sake He spared the little town of Zoar (Genesis 19:17-24).
17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!” 18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it — it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.” (Genesis 19:17-20)
21 He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.) 23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the Lord out of the heavens. (Genesis 19:21-24)
And so, Abraham had love, humility, and faith — the qualities needed by an intercessor — and this is why his prayer was heard. The Gentile centurion, whose faith Jesus admired, had them too (Luke 7:1-10). We understand that the centurion loved his servant, because at the very beginning of the account it is expressly noted that the servant was dear to him.
1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. (Luke 7:1-3)
Evidently this centurion loved his servant exceedingly, since he sought to help him by every means. And when he understood that the situation was hopeless, he turned also to Jesus. He had the first tooth of the key that opens every door — love.
The next tooth of the key of intercession is humility. And in the centurion it too is remarkable, because although the Jewish elders whom he had sent to Jesus praised and recommended him for his generosity and his care for the synagogue and the Jewish people, he himself was so humble that he did not consider himself worthy to come and stand in Jesus’ presence himself. So he sent friends to Jesus to keep Him from coming “under his roof.”
4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. (Luke 7:4-6)
What humility! But not only remarkable humility — also extraordinary faith. The centurion understood authority well. He knew that his submission to his superiors gave him authority over his subordinates. As long as he carried out orders, he could also require that his orders be carried out. A person cannot have authority until he himself is under authority. But while the centurion was under the authority of his generals, Jesus, as God’s messenger, was under the authority of God Himself. If a man’s command is carried out, how much more the command of Jesus as God’s messenger. The centurion believed that a single command from Jesus was enough for a miracle to happen and for his servant to be healed.
7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Luke 7:7-8)
Jesus was impressed by such an understanding, and He held this Gentile up as an example to the Jews.
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. (Luke 7:9-10)
And so, in Jesus, as well as in Abraham and in the centurion, we see the three teeth of the key that opens every door — the love, the humility, and the faith of the intercessor.
Love, humility, and faith. To what extent are they found in us? How do we acquire them? Love is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), so in order to receive it, on the one hand we must “abide in the vine,” and on the other:
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Where can we get faith? We find the answer in Romans 10:17:
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17)
And what about humility? Can we get it from somewhere? Can we receive it? No. Humility is our responsibility. In James 4:10 it says:
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)
And For Me
…Pray also for me… (Ephesians 6:19)
The apostle Paul concludes his call to prayer with a request that the Ephesian believers pray also for him. The fact that he says this explicitly should show us how important the intercessory prayer of his brothers and sisters was to him. Of course, verse 19 reminds us first of all to pray for ourselves — that God would give us boldness, wisdom, and the ability to share the gospel effectively.
Pray also for me,
that whenever I speak,
words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known
the mystery of the gospel… (Ephesians 6:19)
The Church’s System of Prayer
Here, however, we also see something else — something I call “the church’s system of prayer.” This is the two-way prayer connection between the ministers and the ordinary believers in the church. It is the responsibility of the ministers to pray for the church, but it is also the responsibility of the church to pray for its ministers. In our prayer motto we see that the apostle Paul requires those “praying in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, being watchful in this with tireless perseverance and prayer for all the saints” to pray explicitly also for him.
What should we ask God for on behalf of our pastors?
- First, that God would give them an accurate and timely word;
- boldness, anointing, grace, right articulation, intelligible and precise words — the best possible delivery of God’s Word;
- a clear and clean connection between the speaker and the listeners.
In the letter to the Colossians, which was written and sent together with the one to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul commands them something similar:
3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. (Colossians 4:3-4)
These verses direct us to the second thing we should ask of God concerning His ministers — that God would open a door for His Word. This means praying that God would create opportunities and an atmosphere suitable for sharing the gospel, a hunger for the Word, and effective reception of the message — that it would enter hearts and yield abundant fruit. In 1 Corinthians 16:8 the apostle Paul shares how God “opened a door for work” for him.
8 But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. (1 Corinthians 16:8-9)
Unfortunately, it usually happens like this — when a great door for work opens, many opponents also appear. And here is the third need of God’s ministers — the need for protection and shelter. Ministers are people like everyone else, so they too need God to guard them from temptations and from falling into the snares of Satan. Paul ends almost all his letters with an appeal for prayer for himself. For example, in Romans 15:30 he writes:
30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, (Romans 15:30-31)
Here the apostle Paul again raises the need for deliverance from the “opponents of the faith” — these are misguided, ungodly, unbelieving people, or, worse still, false brothers. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 the apostle Paul makes a similar request:
1 As for other matters, brothers and sisters, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)