Ephesians 6:18 NKJV
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
Pray, Pray, and then Pray Some More
My Notes
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:18 NKJV
We talk a lot about putting on the full armor of God—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. But what happens when the battle actually starts? Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:18 that the ultimate key to standing firm isn’t just about defense; it’s about the active, relentless exercise of prayer. Think of prayer as the ultimate communication line that activates every single piece of your spiritual armor.
Spurgeon said it plainly: “when you cannot use your sword, and even when you can hardly grasp your shield, you can still pray.” That weapon of “all prayer” is of the handiest kind, because it can be turned in any and every direction.
When Paul says “all prayer,” he really means it. This isn’t just about formal, polished prayers spoken from a pulpit or quiet bedtime routines. It includes wordless groans when we don’t have the vocabulary, weeping prayers in our darkest hours, whispered single-word cries for help, and simple prayers of thanksgiving. It encompasses confession, intercession, and personal petition. Because prayer is so versatile, it can be aimed in any direction and utilized in literally any circumstance of life.
Jesus told a story so that
“men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1 NKJV).
Paul wrote the same command more briefly elsewhere:
“pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV).
This prayer is to be offered in the Spirit—guided and empowered by Him, not merely spoken from habit or empty form. And it is to be watchful.
Jesus warned His disciples,
“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41 NKJV).
We watch for opportunities to pray; we watch against the things that cool our hearts, and we keep praying with perseverance.
Have you ever hit a wall in your personal prayer life? You feel dry, distracted, or spiritually heavy, and you just don’t know what to say to God. One of the most effective spiritual hacks is to stop focusing on your own immediate needs and start praying for someone else. When you intercede for a brother or sister weighed down by affliction, something amazing happens: the fire of supplication begins to burn in your own heart again.
The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends
And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10).
Many people have found that when they could not pray for themselves, praying for someone else unlocked their own hearts.
We do not only fight for ourselves. A soldier cares about more than his own safety. We are called to make supplication for all the saints—every believer, in every place and every circumstance. When we do not feel our own need pressing us to pray, the needs of our brothers and sisters should still move us. Prayer for others is both a duty and a gift that often returns strength to the one who prays.
Prayer
Abba Father, thank You that prayer is always open to me. When I cannot find words or strength for anything else, teach me to turn to You. Help me pray in the Spirit—simply, honestly, and persistently. When my own heart feels cold, remind me to pray for others, and use that to warm me again. Keep me watchful and faithful in prayer for all Your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
- Prayer is always available, even when the other pieces of armor feel out of reach.
- “All prayer” includes every kind—wordless, short, confessional, thankful, and intercessory.
- Praying for others often restarts our own ability to pray.
- Prayer is to be constant, watchful, and carried on with perseverance for all the saints.
- It is the atmosphere in which the whole armor is worn and used.
Proverb for Today
Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 NKJV
Daily Scripture
Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NKJV
Closing
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
Grace be with you. Amen.
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Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
From his exposition (Sermon No. 3143):
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
When you cannot use your sword, and even when you can hardly grasp your shield, you can pray. That weapon of “all prayer” is of the handiest kind, because it can be turned in any and every direction. “Praying always with all prayer”—groaning prayers, weeping prayers, prayers that are made up of single words, prayers that have not a word in them, prayers for others, prayers of confession, prayers of thanksgiving—“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”
And watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
But will prayer for other people help us? Yes, very much. You will sometimes find that, when you cannot pray for yourself, it is a good plan to pray for somebody else. Think of some child of God, and pray for him, and then the fire of supplication will soon burn up in your heart. The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends, and he will do the same for you. I have heard many of our members say that, when they have felt bound in prayer, they have pleaded for their Pastor and afterwards they have been able to pray for themselves.
Key points from Spurgeon:
- Prayer is always available, even when you cannot use the other pieces of armor.
- “All prayer” includes every kind: wordless groans, short cries, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession for others.
- It can be aimed in any direction and used in any circumstance.
- Praying for others often unlocks your own ability to pray.
- Prayer is to be constant (“always”) and watchful, carried on with perseverance for all the saints.
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Enduring Word
Praying always with all prayer: The idea is all kinds of prayer or prayer upon prayer. We should use every kind of prayer we can think of. Group prayer, individual prayer, silent prayer, shouting prayer, walking prayer, kneeling prayer, eloquent prayer, groaning prayer, constant prayer, fervent prayer – just pray. (Guzik)
i. We can say that it is through prayer that spiritual strength and the armor of God go to work. In theory, the prayerless Christian can be strong and wearing all the armor; but never accomplishes anything because he fails to go into battle through prayer. (Guzik)
ii. Often we just don’t pray because we are simply overconfident in our own abilities. Winston Churchill said to Britain in the early days of the Second World War: “I must drop one word of caution, for next to cowardice and treachery, overconfidence leading to neglect and slothfulness, is the worst of wartime crimes.”
For all the saints: We can battle spiritually not only on our own behalf, but also on the behalf of others. The soldier isn’t only concerned for his or her own safety. He feels an instinct to protect and to battle on behalf of others.
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Albert Barnes
Praying always — It would be well for the soldier who goes forth to battle to pray – to pray for victory; or to pray that he may be prepared for death, should he fall. But soldiers do not often feel the necessity of this. To the Christian soldier, however, it is indispensable. Prayer crowns all lawful efforts with success and gives a victory when nothing else would. No matter how complete the armor; no matter how skilled we may be in the science of war; no matter how courageous we may be, we may be certain that without prayer we shall be defeated. God alone can give the victory; and when the Christian soldier goes forth armed completely for the spiritual conflict, if he looks to God by prayer, he may be sure of a triumph. This prayer is not to be intermitted. It is to be always. In every temptation and spiritual conflict we are to pray; see notes on Luke 18:1.
With all prayer and supplication — With all kinds of prayer; prayer in the closet, the family, the social meeting, the great assembly; prayer at the usual hours, prayer when we are specially tempted, and when we feel just like praying (see the notes, Matthew 6:6) prayer in the form of supplication for ourselves, and in the form of intercession for others. This is, after all, the great weapon of our spiritual armor, and by this we may hope to prevail.
“Restraining prayer, we cease to fight; Prayer makes the Christian armor bright, And Satan trembles when he sees. The meanest saint upon his knees.”
In the Spirit — By the aid of the Holy Spirit; or perhaps it may mean that it is not to be prayer of form merely, but when the spirit and the heart accompany it. The former idea seems, however, to be the correct one.
And watching thereunto — Watching for opportunities to pray; watching for the spirit of prayer; watching against all those things which would hinder prayer; see the Matthew 26:38, note, 41, note; compare 1 Peter 4:7.
With all perseverance — Never becoming discouraged and disheartened; compare notes, Luke 18:1.
And supplication for all saints — For all Christians. We should do this:
- Because they are our brethren – though they may have a different skin, language, or name.
- Because, like us, they have hearts prone to evil, and need, with us, the grace of God.
- Because nothing tends so much to make us love others and to forget their faults, as to pray for them.
- Because the condition of the church is always such that it greatly needs the grace of God. Many Christians have backslidden; many are cold or lukewarm; many are in error; many are conformed to the world; and we should pray that they may become more holy and may devote themselves more to God.
- Because each day many a Christian is subjected to some special temptation or trial, and though he may be unknown to us, yet our prayers may benefit him.
- Because each day and each night many Christians die. We may reflect each night as we lie down to rest, that while we sleep, some Christians are kept awake by the prospect of death, and are now passing through the dark valley; and each morning we may reflect that “today” some Christian will die, and we should remember them before God.
- Because we shall soon die, and it will be a comfort to us if we can remember then that we have often prayed for dying saints, and if we may feel that they are praying for us.
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John Gill
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit,…. The last weapon is prayer, and takes in all sorts of prayer, mental and vocal, public and private; and every branch of it, as deprecation of evils, petitions for good things, and thanksgiving for mercies: and which should be used always: this stands opposed to such who pray not at all, or who have prayed, but have left it off; or who pray only in distress, and it suggests, that a man should pray as often as he has an opportunity; and particularly, that he should make use of it in times of darkness, desertion, and temptation: and this, when performed aright, is performed “in the Spirit”; with the heart, soul, and spirit engaged in it; it is put up with a true heart, and a right spirit, and without hypocrisy; in a spiritual way, and with fervency, and under the influence, and by the assistance of the Spirit of God.
And watching thereunto; either to the word, as a direction for prayer, or to prayer itself; for opportunities to pray for the assistance of the Spirit in prayer, for an answer of it, and to return thanks for blessings when bestowed; and against all dependence on it, and against Satan’s temptations, and our own corruptions with respect to it:
with all perseverance; in it, notwithstanding what Satan and an unbelieving heart may suggest to the contrary:
and supplication for all saints; of every nation, age, sex, and condition, in all places, and of every denomination. So Christ taught his disciples to pray, saying, our Father, suggesting, that they were not only to pray for themselves, but for all the children of God.
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Matthew Henry
Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armor, v. 18. We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defense against these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the case requires: and we must pray always. Not as though we were to do nothing else but pray, for there are other duties of religion and of our respective stations in the world that are to be done in their place and season; but we should keep up constant times of prayer, and be constant to them. We must pray upon all occasions, and as often as our own and others’ necessities call us to it. We must always keep up a disposition to prayer, and should intermix ejaculatory prayers with other duties, and with common business. Though set and solemn prayer may sometimes be unseasonable (as when other duties are to be done), yet pious ejaculations can never be so. We must pray with all prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public, private, and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden; with all the parts of prayer: confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgivings for favors received. We must pray in the Spirit; our spirits must be employed in the duty and we must do it by the grace of God’s good Spirit. We must watch thereunto, endeavoring to keep our hearts in a praying frame, and taking all occasions, and improving all opportunities, for the duty: we must watch to all the motions of our own hearts towards the duty. When God says, Seek my face, our hearts must comply, Ps. 27:8. This we must do with all perseverance. We must abide by the duty of prayer, whatever change there may be in our outward circumstances; and we must continue in it as long as we live in the world. We must persevere in a particular prayer; not cutting it short, when our hearts are disposed to enlarge, and there is time for it, and our occasions call for it. We must likewise persevere in particular requests, notwithstanding some present discouragements and repulses. And we must pray with supplication, not for ourselves only, but for all saints; for we are members one of another. Observe, None are so much saints, and in so good a condition in this world, but they need our prayers, and they ought to have them.
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Calvin’s Commentary
Praying always with all prayer. Having instructed the Ephesians to put on their armor, he now enjoins them to fight by prayer. This is the true method. To call upon God is the chief exercise of faith and hope; and it is in this way that we obtain from God every blessing. Prayer and supplication are not greatly different from each other, except that supplication is only one branch of prayer
With all perseverance. We are exhorted to persevere in prayer. Every tendency to weariness must be counteracted by a cheerful performance of the duty. With unabated ardor we must continue our prayers, though we do not immediately obtain what we desire. If, instead of with all perseverance, some would render it, with all Earnestness, I would have no objection to the change.
But what is the meaning of always? Having already spoken of continued application, does he twice repeat the same thing? I think not. When everything flows on prosperously, — when we are easy and cheerful, we seldom feel any strong excitement to prayer, — or rather, we never flee to God, but when we are driven by some kind of distress. Paul therefore desires us to allow no opportunity to pass, — on no occasion to neglect prayer; so that praying always is the same thing with praying both in prosperity and in adversity.
For all saints. There is not a moment of our life at which the duty of prayer may not be urged by our own wants. But unremitting prayer may likewise be enforced by the consideration, that the necessities of our brethren ought to move our sympathy. And when is it that some members of the church are not suffering distress, and needing our assistance? If, at any time, we are colder or more indifferent about prayer than we ought to be, because we do not feel the pressure of immediate necessity, — let us instantly reflect how many of our brethren are worn out by varied and heavy afflictions, — are weighed down by sore perplexity, or are reduced to the lowest distress. If reflections like these do not rouse us from our lethargy, we must have hearts of stone. But are we to pray for believers only? Though the apostle states the claims of the godly, he does not exclude others. And yet in prayer, as in all other kind offices, our first care unquestionably is due to the saints.
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