In chapter 8, we come to a topic that is key to a healthy relationship with Christ, but always can be improved. To spend a healthy chunk of time in prayer can be so difficult in the busyness of life that we find ourselves frantically running around in. Hughes challenges us to think of prayer as not only essential, but constant.
The chapter begins by showing how Paul connects prayer with the armor of spiritual warfare in Eph. 6:18. “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,” Out of this verse, Hughes draws five helpful principles of being disciplined in prayer.
The first is that we should be praying in the Spirit, or as Hughes puts it, “In -Spirited Prayer.” I’ve often sailed over that phrase without giving it much thought. How do we pray in the Spirit? He is not talking about the gift of tongues here, but rather how every believer, every day, is to rely on the Holy Spirit to empower their prayer lives. The first way he mentions this happens is to allow the Holy Spirit to tell us what to pray for. This means we pray to be told what to pray for! What a great way to look at it. In our small minds, we may not know what to pray for or how to pray. So rather than settle for a weak prayer life, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and direct our prayers. As He does, our hearts are being transformed to be seeing God’s heart for prayer. The second way the Holy Spirit empowers us is to give us strength and energy to pray. Prayer takes work. It takes discipline. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit. We often are ineffective in prayer because we are attempting to pray from our own power. The very act of prayer is to acknowledge that we do not have the power and ability. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to put on your heart what to pray for.
The second principle of prayer from Eph 6:18 is that prayer is to be continual. Paul says that we are to be praying “at all times.” 1 Thes 5:17 says, “pray without ceasing.” Again, the question is how? Do I stop working, driving, eating, and sleeping? Hughes explains it by saying “the prayer called for here is not so much the articulation of words as the posture of the heart.” We are always looking up for guidance. We are always conversing with God as we go about our daily duties. Praying continually is a mindset that always sees our need for God in everything we do. There is nothing that we have “mastered” so that we do not need God. “We are to have a perpetual inner dialog with God. We must always be looking up, even when driving to work or mowing the lawn.” I long for this, but I get distracted. Lord, make my weak heart constantly converse with you.
The third prayer principle is “Varied Prayer.” We are to pray all kinds of prayers in Eph 6:18. Hughes shares that different circumstances and situations will require different kinds of prayers. There are times to pray prayers of worship. There are times to give thanksgiving. There are times for petitions and times to pour out our hearts and grief to God. Don’t get into a rut in your prayer life! The fourth principle is “Persistent Prayer.” Paul says to keep on praying, to have perseverance. “There is a mysterious efficacy to persistent prayer.” We may not know how or when God chooses to answer persistent prayer, but we know He has commanded it and will respond to it. My children are convinced that perseverance will help Daddy answer their requests. For me it reveals my impatience that God is refining, but for God, it is a testament to our reliance and trust in Him. His last paragraph is convicting. “Men, do we pray with Scriptural persistence for our families? For the Church? Are there individuals, groups, causes, souls for which we hold up our hands in prayer? There ought to be, for God answers persistent prayer.” Don’t give up men. We have seen souls come to Christ that have been prayed for for many, many years. God’s timing is perfect.
The final principle is intercessory prayer. Paul says to pray for all the saints. Other believers are to have a large part of our prayers. It is easy to think of prayer as our own personal wish list and treat God as our Santa Claus. We counter this as we pray for others and their needs, when we pray for blessings for others. We show our love for each other when we consistently are on our knees doing spiritual battle for brothers and sisters in Christ.
From here, Hughes gives some practical suggestions for how to be disciplined in our prayer lives. The first is to keep a prayer list. With every year that goes by, I am more and more dependent on lists to remember things. Prayer is not any different. Not only does it help us remember, but I liked how Hughes shared it helps to keep us on track. When our minds wander, the list brings us back to being disciplined in prayer. You might use a sheet of paper for this, or 3×5 cards like he recommends. I use an Excel spreadsheet and keep information like the date of the request and the answers I see to the requests. Do what works for you, but find a way to keep a list.
Other practical helps include finding a place where you can have some quiet and not be disturbed. These are key! I cannot have an effective prayer life with three little ones climbing all over me. The answer for me is not to try to pray with them running around, but to find a quiet place and time. That might mean getting up early, or staying up late. I still remember as a child occasionally coming out into the family room early in the morning to see my dad kneeling with his elbows on a blue vinyl chair. He was faithful in prayer. Every day I could get up and still see two elbow imprints on that chair. I knew dad prayed today! That sent a powerful message to me of the importance and reality of a relationship with God. The advice on time, posture, and length was also very helpful. Find what facilitates prayer for you and do it. Whatever it takes, do it!
At the end, Hughes brings us back to the fact that prayer is spiritual warfare. As such, it takes work and diligence. I loved several quotes in the last section, but this one drove home the seriousness of prayer for me. “We must never wait until we feel like praying – otherwise we may never pray, unless, perhaps, we fall headfirst into an open well. The context of Paul’s charge in Ephesians 6 is spiritual warfare – and that is what prayer is! Christian men face the world – and fall on their knees. Work and war, war and work – these are the words we must keep before us if we are to become men of prayer.”
Men, I end with a couple of questions. How can we help each other persist in prayer? and What can I intercede with God Almighty for on your behalf? We are men of the sword and of prayer.
I confess that I am far from the many of prayer I should, could and need to be. What if we began to ask each other about our prayer lives? It might sting, it might really personal, but might it not also be very good for us? I’m opening myself to this question, as painful as answering might very well be.