8 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:18–20

We have spent this week dissecting what it looks like to wear the armor of God. We are now covered from head to toe with God’s armor, leaving nothing exposed to the Enemy’s schemes and daggers. But today’s verses are my favorite.

Paul emphasizes the power of prayer in verse 18 when he says to pray “at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication.” Supplication, by definition, is the act of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly. It requires submission. It requires humility. It requires full surrender. Supplication is when you pray earnestly and humbly, asking God to do the impossible. It is a plea for help, for healing and for deliverance. It comes from the innermost parts of us when we lay all our worldly tools down because we know there is no other way but God.

Paul urges the Ephesians not just to pray simple prayers like “Now I lay me down to sleep…” or “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for this food.” No, not that kind of prayer. Paul is calling for gut-level supplication—the kind that leaves you on the floor in a puddle of sweat and tears, crying out to God like a child who desperately needs her Father.

In verse 19, Paul reveals a real and vulnerable side of himself to the Ephesians. He asks the Ephesians to pray for him. Remember, Paul was in prison. Yet he was still their teacher and leader. Even though imprisoned, they still relied on him. And here, he humbles himself: Hey friends, would you pray for me too? I pray for you all the time—after all, I’ve got plenty of time. But if you could pray for me, I’d be so grateful.

And verse 20 convicts me the most. He didn’t ask them to pray for his release or better conditions or for a lighter sentence. He didn’t ask them to pray for his ease or comfort. He asked them to pray that God would still use him. That God would still work through him even within prison walls. That somehow, in that dark pit, bound by chains, God would continue to give him the opportunity and the boldness to proclaim the gospel.

Prayer is another weapon in the armor of God. But many of us don’t think of prayer as a war tactic against the Enemy. We think of prayer more like a stroll in the park with our Father, chatting about the events of the day. Or we pray for things that make life more comfortable, contentment or happy.

When was the last time you asked someone to pray for you—not for comfort or contentment or happiness, but with a prayer that reached the soul level? When was the last time you prayed so hard you were left in a puddle on the floor, waging war between good and evil, battling against sin and fighting the prince of darkness?

When we pray, the Enemy cowers. When we pray, the Enemy loses his grip. When we pray, chains break and lives are restored.

Philippians 4:6 encourages us, “…in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” God wants to hear all our prayers, no matter how big or small. He is the giver of good gifts, and He delights in us.

Sometimes I feel like I’m constantly babbling to God in my head, and I think, Wow, I must be really annoying. But God is never annoyed with us. Psalm 149: 4 says, “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.” God takes pleasure in me and in you! And He wants us to be in constant communication with Him.

Relationships thrive with communication. Think about it: when we stop talking to our spouses, things quickly go downhill. We begin to see each other differently, behave differently toward one another and say things we regret because our defenses are up, making communication even more difficult. Have you ever had a close friend you suddenly stopped speaking to? Maybe they moved away or life circumstances changed and you drifted apart. When you finally see each other again, what was once was easy, intimate and meaningful becomes superficial, and awkward. Talking to God is no different. When we regularly talk to our Father about everything, it becomes easier to talk to him about the hard things.

Paul doesn’t just tell us to pray—he tells us to pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit guides our prayers. When we can’t find the words or sound like babbling idiots in all of our weakness and pain, the Holy Spirit takes our prayers, perfects them and presents them to God. Romans 8:26 says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

In our weakness, the Spirit makes our prayers beautiful and perfect for our Father’s ears. Isn’t that so amazing, and so freeing to know that our prayers don’t have to sound perfect or be full of big theological words? They just need to be honest and real. The Spirit takes care of the rest.

The opposite of praying in the Spirit is praying with selfish motives. James 4:3 says, “You ask and you do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.”

So how do you know if you are praying in the Spirit, with the right heart and intentions? The good news is this: as a Christian, you already have the Holy Spirit living inside you. This means the Spirit is interceding with every prayer you bring to God. The Spirit guides your heart in how to pray and what to pray for. Romans 8 tells us the Spirit teaches us to pray. Praying in the Spirit isn’t something you must learn or achieve—it is a gift from your Heavenly Father.

Don’t be afraid to pray boldly. And don’t be afraid to ask others to pray for you. Paul humbled himself and asked for prayer, even in prison. And if Jesus Himself asked His disciples to pray for Him before in Gethsemane, who are we to think that we don’t need the prayers of others?

Pray in the good times and the bad. Prayer isn’t something you do just when things get tough. Pray constantly. Grow in your communication and relationship with the Lord. Praise Him on the mountaintops and cry out to Him in the valleys.

Commit to praying for one another. Our community of believers is massive at Eleven22. Find your tribe. Find women you trust to carry your mat and pray for you when you need help.

Lord, thank You for the gift of prayer and the gift of the Holy Spirit who intercedes when we don’t have the words. Give us the boldness to pray big prayers, the humility to ask others to pray for us and the love to pray faithfully for others. Amen.