COMFORT IN TRIALS
Praying at Every Time in Spirit and
Making Petition concerning All the Saints
1 Tim. 2:1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men;
Eph. 6:18 By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.
Prayer Being General,
and Petitions Being Special for Particular Needs
In First Timothy 2:1 Paul mentions petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. Prayer is general, with the essence of worship and fellowship. Petitions are special and are for particular needs. The Greek word rendered “intercessions” means approach to God in a personal and confiding manner, that is, intervening, interfering, before God in others’ affairs for their benefit.
In mentioning petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings, Paul’s spirit was very burdened concerning the importance of prayer. He wanted his dear spiritual children to pray. Again and again I would emphasize the fact that we can have a proper church life only if we have a prayer life. I could testify that my prayers have not been as many until recent years. I could also testify that my prayers have being answered in a definite way. At present, my moment is limited, so that I could have some rest and pay attention to my physical health. Meanwhile, whenever I’ve heard about certain needs, I would pray for these matters. May we all learn the lesson that the way to have a good church life is to pray. This is crucial. If our talking is turned into praying, the church in our locality will be transformed. (Life-study of 1 Timothy, msg. 3)
Praying at Every Time in Spirit
A Christian must be a praying person. It is a sin not to pray. If you fail to pray for others, the saints or those in your family, you are sinning. However, not many Christians regard the lack of prayer as sin. We need to exercise our will to be people of prayer. For the sake of a proper prayer life, our mind must be sober, our emotion must be regulated, and our will must be strengthened. Then we shall be able to pray at every time in spirit.
Watching unto This
in Petition concerning All the Saints
In Ephesians 6:18 Paul speaks of “watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints.” This indicates that we need to be watchful, on the alert, for this prayer life. We need to be on guard lest we be robbed of time that should be devoted to prayer. To be watchful in a practical way, many in the churches set aside specific times to pray.
In verse 18 Paul also speaks of “petition concerning all the saints.” This indicates that we need to pray for the saints. In order to watch unto our prayer life, we need to pray in a particular way. This means that we should pray particularly for our watching unto prayer, that is, pray for our prayer life, for our prayer time. We also need to make petition concerning all the saints. Consider how much time is required to pray for the saints in your locality and for the saints in other cities and countries. (Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 66)
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for revealing to me that how I need the prayer and interceding life, particularly for all the saints. Lord Jesus, bless the brothers and sisters on the whole earth. You know their needs. Take care of their situations that they may experience and enjoy Your presence in every circumstance.