“Pray In The Spirit…!”

“Pray In The Spirit…!”(Eph.6:18-20).
Paul says if we have to take a stand against the devil, we should “put on the whole armor of God.” “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”
As if we are soldiers getting ready for combat, we should put on our military armor. But as soldiers of Christ, and since the struggle is more spiritual than physical, our military gear should be those given by God. These armor include: standing firm, truth, righteousness, readiness derived from the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God that is the sword of the Spirit.
Lastly, we should “… 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, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.“
There are three kinds of prayers viz: verbal, meditative, and contemplative. The verbal prayer is with the use of words.
With the meditative prayer, we train our ears to hear and our hearts to respond to divine reality. We need a quiet and comfortable space, imagining self in the presence of God. A word or phrase from scripture may be the focus of your thoughts.
At a deeper level is the contemplative prayer. Here, our minds and hearts and imaginative ability recognise God’s presence, and we fix our gaze on him. The contemplative prayer requires quiet, silence, stillness as we rest in God’s presence. The contemplative prayer is prayer in the Spirit. In the contemplative mood, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express…”
(Rom.8:26-27).
Since the devil has no fixed place or time to entice us, we have to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers,” including verbal, meditative, and contemplative.
How then can we pray the contemplative prayer in a crowd? If you can be lost in thought in a crowd, you can also get into a contemplative mood with ease in a crowd. That is why we have to “be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.”
Dear Christians, pray also for your pastors so that whenever they open their mouths, words may be given them so that they will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, whether in good or bad times. Pray that they may declare it fearlessly as they should!
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, inspire us to pray in the Spirit. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
27/05/2025.