Ephesians 6:18, commentary and pictures

Ephesians 6:18 calls believers to pray continually with every kind of prayer and earnest request in the Holy Spirit, while staying alert with patient endurance and intercession for all fellow believers. It stands as part of putting on God's complete armor for a real war not against people but against dark spiritual powers, requiring strength in the Lord to stand firm in the evil day. Such prayer is to be unceasing, wholehearted and fervent under the Spirit's moving, offered in faith through Christ's merits with Jacob-like wrestling that will not let go without blessing. It must be joined to watchfulness over self and the adversary, keeping every piece of armor on without relaxing, resisting deception and small departures from God. Obeyed in daily life, this praying and watching overcomes Satan's schemes, unites believers instead of warring with one another, and supplies power for gospel work, family duty, and preparation for the near end.

Verse Wording and Setting

The command is to pray at all times with every form of prayer and earnest request in the Spirit, and to stay alert with complete persistence and intercession for all the saints. Continual prayer of every kind is required, with watchful perseverance maintained on behalf of fellow believers.

This praying and watching belongs to putting on the whole armor of God, together with truth about the loins, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Strength in the Lord and in the power of His might comes by taking every piece, not one or two, so as to stand against the wiles of the devil and spiritual wickedness and to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. The armor keeps those handling sacred truth awake, discerning spiritual things, sanctified through the truth, and safe as counselors and guides, instead of losing discrimination, treating holy things as common, and becoming weak and uncertain. Bible truth thus treasured in heart and mind and obeyed in life convinces and converts the soul, transforms character, humbles the proud, makes the disobedient obedient, and cuts away fleshly lusts and sinful habits. Opposition may even come through unconsecrated professed followers lending talent and ability to the enemy to hinder the work, which makes the full equipment the more necessary.

The setting is a spiritual struggle, not a human one, a wrestling not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places. Believers are to stand as faithful sentinels at the post of duty and give the enemy no quarter, able to withstand in the evil day. This is Christ's order to soldiers in His army for the time of the end, when successive scenes are in process of fulfillment to bring the great day when Christ shall be revealed in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, with every brain and every voice enlisted and the trumpet giving a certain sound. Under His banner they can never be conquered because angels from the heavenly courts fight beside them. The call applies now as never before when preaching of truth brings increased bitterness and opposition, requiring uplifted witness to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus even at sacrifice of life if need be, and it applies to ministers as watchmen on the walls of Zion living amid the closing scenes of this earth's history, who must walk in the light as Christ is in the light, discern the messages to be given at this time, and give a certain trumpet sound so souls are not quieted to sleep unto eternal loss. In debate over questions of Bible truth the warfare is not with men, so workers carrying responsibilities and tempted by Satan to prove their position impregnable must recognize the hand of a foe to whom they must not yield and must keep out of controversy with the wily deceiver, understanding truth plainly and standing firm against growing deceptions by relying on God's protection.

What was written to the church at Ephesus is to be taken as addressed personally to present believers.

Praying Always in Spirit

Prayer is to be continual and unceasing, with no pause even for a day or an hour, for no one is safe from temptation without it. Neglect leaves people vulnerable to temptation and to gradual backsliding mistaken for well-being, while those who persist in seeking victory and salvation are protected amid the struggle and stand firm against evil. Awareness of surrounding dangers would lead to praying more, seeking wisdom, encouragement and spiritual strength as a privilege, including asking for wisdom to understand the Word and relying humbly on God for protection from the tempter. In the time of the latter rain this continual, fervent prayer is joined to trust in God and active living in accordance with what is prayed for, watching in the Spirit and praying for the abundant gift of the Holy Spirit without tiring.

All prayer and supplication includes every form: private, family, public and wherever believers are. Christ’s teaching about praying in secret warns against praying to be seen, not against family or public prayer, and those who love solitary prayer can also pray publicly with the right motive, giving time to prayer after the day’s work as Jesus sought solitude in groves or on mountains. Prayer must be earnest, persevering and constant rather than faint, occasional and fitful, for good purposes and intentions alone cannot enable anyone to withstand temptation. It does not require being alone or bowing on the knees, for in the midst of labor souls can be uplifted to God and take hold upon His strength, making men and women of high and holy purpose who will not for any consideration be swerved from truth, right and justice. This includes stopping to pray in the family, with prayers offered to Jesus Christ and to the Father in His name, bringing grace with angels present to give the Spirit needed for laboring for souls and for being led and taught in whatever business is engaged in, whereas being buried in money-making and planning harvests crowds out prayer and acquaintance with children and causes mistakes and loss from not taking firm hold of Christ’s hand.

In the Spirit means praying with wholeheartedness, with hearts overflowing with love for God, with fervency, zeal, tenderness, sincerity and earnestness under the moving of the Holy Spirit. It forbids dry, tame, spiritless, icy, set, formal and eloquent prayers, which are a sign of a Christless heart and which God does not acknowledge. It requires prayer as an expression of the needs of the soul, softened and subdued by the love of God, yearning for a deeper realization of the Saviour’s matchless love and crying to God for more wisdom. Such prayer may be specially prompted by the Spirit, when the soul yearns and struggles earnestly with God like Jacob and remains unsettled until God gives a special manifestation of His power. It seeks God’s power and Spirit to work with human efforts, especially when dealing with people’s minds, and because the end of all things is at hand there is special need now for such soul-stirring prayers with hearts cleansed from cherished selfishness, learning daily in the school of Christ, loving God and neighbor, and reading and practicing Isaiah 58, so that contrite and humble prayer bears evidence of God’s inditing, will be heard and answered, and then the Word will be proclaimed with power.

Such prayer is offered in faith, relying on the merits of the blood of Christ and claiming His saving strength and atonement to resist the wily foe, wrestling with God as Jacob did saying I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me. It is necessary as long as Christians live in this world because the enemy contends for their usefulness or life and tries to mar their peace, so every door must be closed against him. When Satan puts forth his fury and powerful foes unite to overthrow faith, praying always means making prayer the chief want and chief labor, contending valiantly before the throne by faith and prayer while exposed to the edge of the sword and the rage of Satan, so that enemies are vanquished by the Spirit of God and constrained to peace. In dreadful hours when powers of darkness gather and hope seems to fail, this means trusting solely in the merits of the atonement and casting helpless unworthiness upon the crucified and risen Saviour, waiting patiently in hope with faith and submission when clouds envelop, pleading for patience to endure and grace to overcome rather than for the trial to be removed, and those who do so will never perish, with the fire able to consume nothing but dross. Prayer offered in faith is a weapon for resisting every assault of the enemy, and believers are to keep praying as they press forward by faith through difficulties, for faith answers prayer; those struggling against spiritual darkness who call upon God with all their strength receive encouragement and light from Jesus through continued pleading, while those who make no effort to pray are left without that help.

Perseverance means not becoming discouraged when an answer seems delayed but continuing to pray and bringing God’s promises to Him, trusting fully in Him as one who hears and answers prayer. Prayer joined with watchfulness and persistence accomplishes wonders for those who give themselves to it, keeping them in a waiting, hopeful position. Believers are to wait with hope, trusting that God will do what He has promised.

Watching with Perseverance

Prayer must be joined with watchfulness and perseverance, standing as faithful sentinels at the post of duty and giving the enemy no quarter in order to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. This vigilance keeps a sharp eye on the adversary to resist his devices, unexpected attacks, deceptions, error, superstition, worldly entanglements and spiritual temptation, while persevering in prayer for all believers and working with perseverance in defense of truth. After praying, earnest effort must continue to overcome personal errors in God's strength, for this work cannot be done by another, and believers must act together rather than independently because the enemy may strike when they feel secure. Such prayerful watchfulness belongs with the whole armor of God in the struggle against satanic powers, guarding the work of God with unceasing vigilance and applying now as never before when witness to truth brings increased bitterness and opposition even at the sacrifice of life.

Watching means keeping a sharp eye on the adversary and a sharp eye on self, with security depending on the state of the heart. Joined to prayer it aids repentance, obedience to truth, purity of thought and life, restraint of passions and appetites, resistance of evil, and renewal and keeping of solemn vows, bringing the Holy Spirit's help to become like Christ and to gain daily victories over temptation and wrong. Without this double watchfulness and heed to self, Satan steals upon the soul, makes it forget the need for prayer and watchfulness, and leads it into his snare to certain loss of heaven. Danger begins with little departures from right and little indulgences that seem trifling but lead on a track that separates from righteousness and from God, so self-will must be laid aside for God's ways and every power strained to bruise Satan underfoot in order to be right with God and have clear title to the immortal inheritance.

The armor must be kept on continually with no time to lay it off, never sleeping at the post, never relaxing vigilance or feeling at ease even after one victory, because the warfare is unceasing and the enemy assails again and again. In the face of spiritualistic sophistries, deceptions, hypnotism and religious error, followers of Christ must fight manfully against the encroachments of darkness, hold present truth without doubt, warn the world, and exert strong spiritual influence with constant trust in Christ who bestows strength to overcome. While laboring to let light into resistant places such as Switzerland, where a determined powerful foe withstands every effort to enlighten the people and disputes every inch of ground, workers must press him back in the name of Jesus, do what can be done, place themselves in right relation to God to be channels of light, and leave the result wholly with Christ who loves souls more than they are capable of loving them. He will then imbue workers in places like Lausanne with His own spirit of wisdom and give tact and skill to win souls to Jesus, while grace must be sought until it brings irrepressible joy.

Watchfulness must continue after worship, especially on the journey home, or the blessing received will be lost. To retain Jesus every moment, words must be select and seasoned by grace and thoughts disciplined to meditate on heavenly and divine things, rather than becoming careless in conversation and conduct. Lack of meditation, watchfulness and prayer forfeits awareness of Jesus' presence and its comfort, peace and joy, leaving gloom, grief and discouragement, and Jesus will not remain with those careless of His presence who talk without reference to their Redeemer. Careless talk, jesting, visiting and trifling away the heavenly Guest drive Jesus away and grieve angels away, yet many refreshed at meetings of devotion return home no better and then wrongly blame others or murmur against God for darkness whose fault is their own.

Supplication for All Saints

The verse calls for persevering supplication and intercession for all saints, with sustained care for fellow believers and tempted people that they may stand firm. It commands praying continually, offering every kind of prayer and petition in the Spirit, and remaining watchful and steadfast in prayer for all believers. Such prayer and persevering intercession belong to the armor for standing against Satan, his emissaries and his forces in the conflict with evil. Standing in God's armor in this way includes persistent watchfulness and prayerful concern for all the saints, joined to prayer for boldness to make the gospel known.

Faithful servants pray continually, in private, with their families, in congregations, and wherever they are, keeping watch with perseverance because souls are in danger. With earnest, humble faith they plead God's promises for others, while Christ's ransom and the atonement made at the cross remain before the mind, and they seek people whose lives will bear witness to their ministry. Devoting time to prayer and seeking God earnestly brings close connection with Heaven and gives sanctified boldness to come before God. Through this fellowship believers receive light and are refined and strengthened to influence those around them.

Prayer is hindered when Christians war against their brethren and distrust them, and they must not shut others out in a way that keeps God's love from prevailing. Success attends only order, discipline, and harmonious united action, for everything connected with heaven is in perfect order and angels move in perfect harmony, subjection, and thorough discipline. Those who are disorderly, undisciplined, and disorganized cannot have successful cooperation from heavenly messengers, who turn away in grief from confusion, distraction, and disorganization and are not authorized to bless them, while those who encourage order, discipline, and union of action receive angelic cooperation. Satan makes it his studied, special work to weaken forces, destroy courage, and prevent successful action by deceiving professed Christians into believing order and discipline are enemies to spirituality and dangerous restrictions of liberty, and that safety and virtue lie in each pursuing his own course independent of brethren united for discipline and harmony of action.

The aggressive warfare commanded is not against one another but against the armies of the enemy, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. It requires taking the whole armor of God to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand, never relaxing vigilance and never feeling at ease or content to do nothing to rescue fallen human beings and win them back to loyalty. Like literal soldiers who drill day after day to be ready for actual service, Christians must drill and prepare for actual service with earnestness, painstaking care, and thoroughness in every department. This soldier-service for Prince Immanuel is spiritual warfare against tradition, superstition, and error, with the assurance that while under Christ's banner soldiers can never be conquered because angels from heaven are fighting beside them.

Armor for Spiritual Battle

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, with watching and perseverance and supplication for all saints, belongs to the whole armor of God and completes it, and one or two pieces are not enough but every piece must be taken to stand against spiritual evil, to meet temptation, and to serve faithfully. It is part of putting on the whole armor to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and to withstand in the evil day, pressing back the powers of darkness by continual Spirit-guided prayer joined with watchfulness and perseverance and prayer for all the saints. It is the preparation and orders of Christ's soldiers for spiritual conflict and for spiritual health and power, to keep praying as they face the powers of evil, to remain watchful and persevering so the enemy will not overcome them, relying on the supernatural help and sufficient power and grace God provides and faithfully obeying their Commander's orders. Obeying these instructions makes them more than conquerors through Christ, and knowing God's will does not remove the need to earnestly ask Him for help.

This equipped prayer meets Satan's devices, schemes, deceptions, spiritualistic sophistries and hypnotism, and meets his temptations and accusations by standing firmly in the faith and seeking strength from God rather than following Satan's influence or relying on human abilities or institutions. It quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked by the shield of faith, together with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, and those who search God's word and heed this counsel are better able to resist false teaching and remain steadfast. It overcomes every temptation of the enemy by meeting his attractions, deceiving bribes, and efforts to eclipse the brightness of Jesus and obliterate His plainest requirements with the Word of God, because the wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places, requiring truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. When the enemy draws the mind away from Jesus to shut away His mercy, love, and all-sufficiency, the call is to flee to the Word instead of dwelling on feelings, where Christ is found as the One by whom God made the worlds, the light of the world, the Christlike character of God's requirements, the conditions of redemption, the divinity of the Saviour, the value of His atonement, and the efficacy of the Comforter the Holy Ghost, until Christ becomes all and in all.

Obeying in reliance on God's power protects believers amid struggle, accomplishes wonders, and with Bible truth treasured in heart and mind and obeyed in life convinces and converts the soul, transforms the character, humbles the proud, makes the disobedient obedient, and cuts away fleshly lusts and sinful habits. Prayer with zeal for Christ, confidence in His help, love for God and neighbor, and trust in the Bible serves as spiritual arms amid danger and hardship.

It applies with special force now amid growing opposition and satanic agencies, calling the church to pray more and to encourage the weak and needy. With signs fulfilling that show the end of this earth's history is near and the last great issue soon to come, every piece of armor is to be kept on and every worker is to stay awake as a faithful watchman, with an individual work to do in fitting himself to sound the last message of warning to the world and to prepare the church, waking those who have had the light to realize the importance of full armor for the closing scenes. Earnest prayer and watching are to be cultivated as dependence on God, and the prayer of faith with watchfulness gives special confidence in God and fortifies and strengthens for conflicts and trials.

Knowing God's will does not remove the need to remain constantly alert against Satan and his angels and to earnestly ask God for help, for He carries out His purposes through human agents who diligently cooperate with Him. The armor passage also joins this continual offering of every kind of prayer and petition in the Spirit, with alert persevering prayer for all the saints, to asking for boldness to make the gospel known.

Faithful Practice Today

Ephesians 6:18 is a plain direction given by the highest Authority that must be practiced and obeyed, not merely read, and not complicated or mystified but preached with the earnestness of the Holy Spirit. Observing it carefully together with every other direction for the Christian armor causes believers to walk softly and humbly before God and to work discreetly. It leads them to carry no yokes to bind men to human plans, to make no worker amenable to any finite mind, and to lord it over no part of God's heritage, since such control endangers both the ruler and those ruled. Practicing this constant, Spirit-led, watchful intercession for all saints requires standing on the side of Christ instead of on the side of the world and clearing the mind from selfish indulgence in eating, drinking, and dressing, and only then can ministers and church members expect the Lord to bless them and cooperate with their efforts.

God's soldiers press back the powers of darkness by this praying always, bringing the wonderful victories needed in camp-meeting work. The same armor equips publishing work and the canvassing work in every field, and preparation for service in different fields of God's work, including the neglected Southern field, with every piece of the Christian armor, especially the gospel shoes. It is a call to leave familiar ground and labor for the Lord in needy fields. Aged, experienced messengers blessed with great light, who have seen truth established and settled since 1844, are to stand in this armor in the Southern field, sustained, respected, and prepared for by God's people as they do the arduous, self-sacrificing, self-denying work of fitting up men and women to proclaim the message. Their standing means holding firm when perplexity is brought in by misleading theories taken from a text of Scripture, proving the falseness of those theories from experience and presenting the clear, straight, vindicated truths without entering into controversy.

Keeping the armor on is required while laboring to let light into Switzerland, where the enemy as a determined, powerful foe withstands every effort to enlighten the people and disputes every inch of ground. Workers must press him back in the name of Jesus with Christ as their only helper, doing what can be done in His name and then leaving the result wholly with Christ who is loved and served and who loves souls more than workers are capable of loving them. They must place themselves in right relation to God in order to be channels of light, that He may imbue the workers in Lausanne with His own spirit of wisdom and give them tact and skill to win souls to Jesus. This life in the whole armor together with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God is practical medical missionary work of a character that testifies to the sanctifying power of truth upon human minds. The call to alert, persistent prayer and vigilance applies to medical missionaries, who are to remain spiritually watchful and equipped while serving loyally under Christ.

This prayer and supplication in the Spirit with perseverance for all saints gives strength and efficiency for parents' responsibility for their children and their conduct, alongside a willingness to listen to others' counsel. Standing in God's armor under Christ's banner with constant prayer and watchful perseverance means in the use of money resisting surrounding temptations and wisely employing entrusted means to God's glory for the saving of souls rather than selfishly misapplying them to injury. Believers are to go forth every day clothed with the whole armor into battle, placing themselves in the direct light of the Word of God in union with His other working forces, and laboring with prayer and watchfulness and perseverance to perform each day's duties proportionate to their powers. They are to be determined that the close of lifework shall not find them unprepared for not having done all that could be done for the salvation of perishing souls. Praying and watching thereunto means faithfully keeping prayer and religious duties every day while quietly doing the duty the day brings, doing the best that can be done, asking God to be the helper, and not neglecting prayer and watching in any case.

Studies and other work and business must never crowd out religious exercises, and gaining a thorough knowledge of the will of God matters as much as advancing in the sciences; if anything must be neglected, it must never be religious duties. It means going on day by day content with doing what can well be done, leaving what cannot be done without worry or care, and taking up the morrow's work in the fear of the Lord, trusting God to help and to give quick perception and heavenly wisdom so talents honor Him, free from overanxiety. Those handling sacred truth and entrusted with responsible and sacred work must pray continually and remain watchful in prayer with urgent persistence, following Christ's example and relying on the Spirit's renewal. Without this dependence on God they act from self-reliance and human weakness, lose discrimination and spiritual discernment and wisdom from Christ, treat holy things as common, become weak and uncertain, and fail to bless others, instead of staying awake, discerning spiritual things, being sanctified through the truth, and being safe counsellors and guides.

Those doing God's work in dealing with human minds must work carefully and prayerfully and watch unto prayer, depending on the grace of God, and then the Holy Spirit works with the laborer, sanctified judgment is given, the very things needed for the occasion are supplied, God makes the worker wise unto salvation, and new light, new interests and new methods come into the work. Prayer is a weapon the Lord gives to defend against Satan's efforts to undermine spiritual life, and young women who heed the Lord's counsel and use prayer alongside the study of His Word can resist those efforts and preserve sound spiritual judgment. In the time of the latter rain believers are to watch in the Spirit and pray for the abundant gift of the Holy Spirit, with continual, fervent prayer and spiritual watchfulness accompanied by trust in God and active living in accordance with what is prayed for. They are to seek the Lord in earnest prayer every day as part of the spiritual life of those who put on God's armor and prepare to serve Him, and after wrestling with God in prayer to put on the armor and work earnestly to save souls.

Praying much with watching must not be neglected, for it is strength for succeeding in the Christian warfare, joined to seeking to do good and helping those who need help, while the eyes of angels are constantly upon those in the warfare. Preparation for conflict with satanic forces means cherishing a spirit of prayer and learning to take God at His word and trust Him as little children, expecting testing and trial because the devil is not dead and is not inactive and will work with every device to provoke God's sons and daughters to retaliation as long as they are on the battlefield and have to contend with him. Praying earnestly and watching thereunto are marks of valuing eternal life. Unceasing prayer and diligent watching are needed to remain spiritually alert and on the right path, since neglecting them leaves people vulnerable to the evil one's temptations and can lead to gradual backsliding mistaken for spiritual well-being, while earnest supplication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation as faith's key to God's boundless resources. Prayer and watchfulness are to accompany steadfastness in principle whatever the result, and ministers are to work, watch, and pray with prayer, watchfulness, and perseverance as part of putting on the whole armor of God as they address issues such as the Sunday movement.