18 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 (ESV)
There's nothing better than hearing my boys pray. We’ve encouraged them to pray from the time they were wee little. Even now, I can hear their little voices praying out adorable phrases to God. I could write paragraphs filled with stories about the cuteness that's flooded our nighttime routine over the years. Right now, we have a 14, 10, 8, and 5-year-old. Each of them now are able to pray at different levels of understanding and expectation. Ty, our oldest, now prays very differently than our youngest Joshua, while our two “middles,” Elijah and Isaiah, are fostering their own relationship with Jesus.
As I have the privilege of listening to to my boys pray, I often wonder how God hears their prayers. Even more, I wonder how God listens to me when I pray. In a similar way to how I’ve seen my boys grow, has God seen maturity in me and in the way that I speak to Him? Has the frequency and the way that I pray come to Him with the perseverance that He calls me to in this week's text? As we draw near to closing our study in Ephesians, we come to see that prayer is at the heart of the spiritual battle. Whether you pray like a 5-year-old or a 95-year-old, the secret to victorious, battle-tested prayer is found in this week's text. Verse 18 calls us to pray in the Spirit. Wow! Do you pray in the Spirit? Are you sure? Trust me when I say, you're not going to want to miss this week's message! I’m praying it will be a powerful & Spirit-filled Sunday.
Take some time to listen to the worship set to prepare your heart.
Love you Church,
Jerry Lingenfelter
Senior Pastor