Prayer as a Means of Grace
August 28, 2023 at 2:23 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Ephesians, Means of Grace | 8 CommentsTags: Biblical prayer, Ephesians 3, James 5, lessons on prayer, Matthew 6, Means of Grace, prayer, Psalm 86, public prayer, Romans 8
It is often assumed that prayer is lacking in the life of even otherwise faithful Christians. Of course, we don’t really know if this is true of not. However, it is often listed in surveys as the spiritual discipline that Christians struggle with most. Even Jesus’s closest disciples seemed to have some difficulty in comprehending it or in confidently practicing it, since Scripture records them asking Jesus, “Teach us to pray.”
The main point of the lesson on Bible study as a means of grace was a reminder that, when we read the Bible we are HEARING FROM GOD HIMSELF. We need to recover a sense of reverence and awe in order to grasp the importance of taking it seriously. Similarly, in prayer, we need to remember that we are not merely uttering words as a form of discipling ourselves. We are actually TALKING TO GOD. The awesome God who speaks to us in His Word is the same awesome God who hears us when we speak our heartfelt words to Him.
Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Psalm 86:1
The psalmist asked God to “recline” or “decline” or “condescend” to our level. This is a prayer asking God to hear our prayers, not because God is reluctant to do so, nor because He is too busy or too transcendent, but as a reminder to us not to take this for granted. Prayer is a privilege, not a right. It comes from us, in a sense, but, admitting that we are “poor and needy,” we recognize that the ability to do it is first and foremost a gift from Him.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. 3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
Psalm 86:2-3
We need prayer, and we need it every day. We “cry” to God; prayer should not be dispassionate. Here are some principles to keep in mind as God uses prayer as a means of grace in our lives:
1. Humbly pray that God would make you humble.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matthew 6:5
Public prayer is good, assuming it is true prayer to the true God and not a make-believe show or a form of crass self-promotion. Keeping in mind that public prayer is good, though, also keep in mind that private prayer is better.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:6
I don’t believe that you must literally go into a closest to pray, but finding a place where we won’t be distracted, and where we won’t be too self-conscious, seems necessary.
2. Simply pray that God would keep your prayers simple.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Matthew 6:7
Public prayer requires a certain formality, but not an excessive formality.
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Matthew 6:8
God never needs things “explained” to Him. You can safely assume that you and God are on the same page when it comes to what’s on your heart. God is not like a lawyer scouring your petitions for legal loopholes.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
If the efficacy of our prayers depended on us impressing God with our eloquence or even the precision of our language, we would have no hope of seeing them answered favorably.
3. Biblically pray for God to help you to pray Biblically.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
James 5:16-18
This is one of the many ways that Bible study goes hand in hand with prayer. We need to bring up to God specific examples of Scriptural promises or Bible stories in our prayers. God recorded these for us so we can know His character, and so that we can be encouraged, and so that we can learn from past examples of men and women who prayed the right way for the rights things with the right heart attitude.
4. Confidently pray that God would give you confidence in Him.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Ephesians 3:20
We need to pray, truly believing that God is sovereign over all. He is not limited by what we are able to comprehend or even imagine. We need to pray in faith, but not faith in our prayers. We need to pray with faith in the One Who hears our prayers, and we need to believe that He will glorify Himself in us for the sake of Jesus. Christian prayers are special prayers. We have special access to God, and He has a vested interest in us.
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3:21
5. Joyfully pray that God would help you find your joy in Him.
Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:4
We should find joy in praying. However, we may not limit our prayers only to times when are joyful. Therefore, we need to pray for joy and pray that God would making praying a time of rejoicing for us. God will do a better job of giving us joy than introverted pep talks, self-help techniques, chemical substances (or food), or even mood-enhancing music. We must lift up our soul to God Himself – whatever emotional state it’s in – and say, “Here, Lord, transform it; make it happy about the right things. Make it grateful. Make it satisfied. Make it peaceful. Make it excited and vibrant. Make it compassionate but not fatalistic.
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
Philippians 1:3-5
Two practical things that will help your to pray joyfully:
a. Pray in fellowship with others, or at least a partner.
b. Start your prayers with gratitude and praise – thanksgiving and worship. Think of prayer itself as a place of unburdening and relief
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Joseph Scriven, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
6. Pray with focus that God would cause you to focus on prayer.
Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Psalm 86:11
Distraction is the enemy of focused and fervent prayer. God can help us to focus. Having a united heart is very important. The opposite of a united heart and a united mind is a divided heart and a divided mind (which sounds not coincidentally like idolatry).
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:5-8
The topic here is asking God for wisdom, but it would apply to any prayer. We are asking God to unite our hearts and makes us single-minded TO FEAR HIM – to recognize that all our prayers need to be focused on glorifying His name and seeing His will done. Whether the topic of the prayer is finances, health, relationships, even spiritual growth and maturity, we are to be directed by and for His purposes. We are not good shepherds of our own minds. They tend to wander all over the place. This can be helpful when when we want to be imaginative and creative, but not so great when we are seriously bringing our petitions and requests before the Lord. He will help you focus and have integrity (be whole).
7. Persist in praying for God to make you persistent in prayer.
Victorious Surrender
June 4, 2021 at 11:07 am | Posted in James | 1 CommentTags: commentary on James, fighting, James 4, prayer, selfish prayer, spiritual faithfulness, Sunday School lessons on James, worldliness
James Chapter 4 describes three kinds of wars: wars between Christians; wars within ourselves; and war against God.
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
James 4:11-12
There is a way to disagree without being disagreeable. As we develop the gift of discernment, we learn to observe our brothers and sisters in Christ with an attitude of love rather than sinful judgmentalism. It is easy to fall into the error of thinking that our judgment (like God’s) can not be wrong. God has appointed us to be many things, but “God-like judge” is not one of them. We must examine ourselves to determine if we have a tendency to be judgmental without knowing all the facts.
Normally wars between Christians are a result of the wars in ourselves.
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
James 4:1
First comes dissatisfaction with what we have, and a desire to have what we don’t have.
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
James 4:2
Then comes the idea that the reason we don’t have it is because someone else has it.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
James 4:3
When we finally get around to asking God for it, we have forgotten the original reason we wanted it in the first place – which was so we could satisfy our lusts, not glorify God. However, God hasn’t forgotten, so He says no.
Beware of selfishness when praying. When you catch yourself praying selfishly go back and examine the reason why you are praying for these things in the first place.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
Are you asking God for the resources to help you be unfaithful to Him? As parents, we want our childern to obey because obedience is for their own good. However, it is possible to be influenced with a selfish motive in this area, too. We don’t want to feel the guilt that would come if we allowed them to be hurt. We need to remember the real reason that we want them to obey, and to avoid being hurt, is that we love them. When you truly love someone, you want that person to be well, AND you don’t want anything to hinder your closeness to him or her. God considers friendship with the world to be adultery committed against Him. It separates us from the fullness of fellowship and presence of the One Who truly loves us.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
James 4:8-9
God says this because He loves us and He wants to lift us up to Himself.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:10
There is no winning the war against God – EXCEPT – in a twist of supreme irony – when we surrender. This is the only war you win by surrendering.
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
James 4:14-15
When we recognize God as our King – after we have truly surrendered – then He proves His trustworthiness.
Praying through Lists of Names?
September 24, 2020 at 3:55 pm | Posted in Biblical names, Biblical prayer, Uncategorized | 4 CommentsTags: Bible Q&A, how to pray, prayer, prayer journals, prayer lists, prayer meetings, prayer requests, public prayer, Q&A
Question: We were praying through the Wednesday night prayer journal, and we got into a disagreement over how to pray for some of the longer lists of people who we don’t personally know. Should we pray for each name individually or can we just ask God to save or heal “everyone on this list?”
Answer: That’s a good question, and I could not find a Bible verse that specifically addresses it, although I do believe that it would be best to pray for each name specifically, for the following reasons:
1. Individuals are significant to God. The Bible contains several long lists of genealogies. We don’t know all the people named in all of them, and few, if any, details are given about many of them in Scripture, but their names are apparently important to God since He put them in the Bible and wants us to read them.
2. There are times in the Bible when we are told that the Apostle Paul prayed for people specifically by name (Ephesians 1:16; Philemon v. 4).
3. Praying for people by name will help us to remember their names and circumstances, so that if we meet them later, or hear of an opportunity to minister to them, we will be informed and “prayed up” concerning their situations.
Having said all that, though, I know that you probably have a lot to pray about in your personal prayer time that is not in the Wednesday night prayer journal, and that time is limited, so praying for “everyone on the list” is a better alternative than not praying at all.
Finally, I want to commend you and thank you for praying, regardless of what method you use. For those who don’t attend regular prayer meetings at the local church to which you belong, the “prayer journal” mentioned above is a pre-printed pamphlet updated and handed out at each prayer meeting. If your church does this, let me encourage you to pick one up and pray for your church family, friends, and missionaries throughout the week.
Signs of Approval from God?
November 1, 2019 at 8:22 am | Posted in Biblical Signs, Q&A | 1 CommentTags: answered prayer, Biblical discernment, discernment, prayer, signs, signs from God
Question: Sometimes when I’m praying about a decision that I’ve made or that I’m about to make, I will look for a sign, like a butterfly showing up in my backyard, or a rainbow in the sky, so that I know I’m doing what God wants me to do. Isn’t it wonderful when He does something like that?
Answer: No, I don’t think that’s wonderful, and I think it’s presumptuous for you to assume God’s approval from such occurrences. I think that’s a very dangerous and unbiblical way to make decisions, or to interpret God’s approval of what you’ve already done. God has not instructed us to take a stab at forming our own subjective plans, and then to test them by external signs that we dictate to Him, or that we interpret based on our preferences. The Bible is very clear that He has given us His Word, filled with principles and precepts, and that we are to filter our decision-making process through these (II Timothy 3:16-17). Things that are clearly forbidden in Scripture will never be given God’s stamp of approval by the appearance of a rainbow, a song on the radio, a dream, or even a “feeling of peace.” Decisions that we face that are not explicitly addressed in the Bible should be prayed about with humility, and should be undertaken with a willingness to submit to God’s will if He later shows us that our decisions were wrong. Saturating your mind with Bible knowledge, and humble trial and error bathed in prayer while depending on God to guide you, will help you to grow to be more like Jesus and to make better decisions. (See Romans 12:2 and Hebrews 5:12-14.) He has also equipped other members of His body with gifts of knowledge and discernment, and you would be wise to seek counsel from mature believers before taking your cue from light refracted through moisture in the sky (Ephesians 4:8-12; Romans 12:3-8; Proverbs 11:14)!
Prayers Answered with Pranks
April 22, 2019 at 11:18 am | Posted in Biblical prayer, Luke | 4 CommentsTags: Biblical prayer, commentary on Luke, fatherhood, Jesus sense of humor, Luke 11, model prayer, prayer, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's prayer
Jesus continued teaching His disciples about the model for prayer with this concluding thought:
If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luke 11:11-12
What do we make of this strange illustration which sounds so foreign to our modern ears? Can you imagine a child asking his father, “Dad, may I have some bread?” and the father responding with some sort of cruel practical joke? “Okay, Son, I have some bread for you right here… [reaches behind his back]… Ha! JK! It’s really a rock! Did you break your tooth?”
Or the son asking, “Dad, what do you have there? Is that a fish? I wanna see…” and the father responding, “Sure, Son, here you go… Whoa, it’s a snake – look out!”
It sounds ridiculous, and it just gets worse: “Dad, I’m hungry, how about an egg?” Dad: “Hmmm… I dunno – try this instead!” [hurls a scorpion at him].
Maybe I’m just obtuse, but this seems like a really tough passage of Scripture. The disciples were trying to make sense of the correct model for prayer and Jesus started going on about this crazy dad terrorizing his son. And I’ve read several commentaries which go to some length to assert that maybe a loaf of bread can look like a stone, and maybe a fish can sort of look like a snake. After all, neither have arms or legs, they say, so Jesus must have been teaching about deception, warning against being deceptive in prayer. And I’m certainly no scholar, so that might be the correct interpretation, but an egg being confused for a scorpion? Seriously?
I tend to think that Jesus was being humorous here (albeit with a serious point), and that we just don’t “get” the ancient Near-Eastern connotations with our Western modern mindset. I draw this conclusion because the next verse reveals what I believe to be Jesus’s point:
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Luke 11:13
God is “our Father,” but he is not like “A father.” In other words, earthly fathers are evil. (If you are a father who is reading this, that is probably not very affirming, but that’s what it says.) Jesus wants us to talk to God the way a child talks to his dad, and, while an earthly dad is not always competent, appropriate, or trustworthy, even a really sketchy earthly dad who loves his child wouldn’t give the kid a scorpion or a snake in response to a serious request for food. Based on this line of reasoning how much MORE will God (the perfect Father) give His Spirit to those who ask HIM?
It seems like Jesus was changing the subject when He brought up the Holy Spirit, but He really wasn’t. The Holy Spirit – to Old Covenant believers – was not a permanent indweller. Rather, He was given at specific times for specific ministries. When my kids ask for candy, I won’t give them a hand grenade, but I might give them an apple instead. I – despite being evil – WANT to give them good gifts, but I don’t always get it right when deciding what’s “good.” Our Heavenly Father, on the other hand, has given us the Holy Spirit, and He’s always good. The Bible says that He will guide us into all truth. We need to ask God for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and we can be confident that He will help us.
A Recipe for Importunate Prayer
March 22, 2019 at 3:13 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Luke, parables | 5 CommentsTags: Biblical prayer, commentary on Luke, importunity, Luke 11, parable of the friend at midnight, persistent prayer, prayer, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the Lord's prayer
Prayer is an expression of faith. A lack of prayer – by which I mean private prayer time, praying when there is no one else around – shows a lack of faith. I once heard a preacher say that we need to pray in two different ways: with our boots on and with our boots off. “Boots-on” prayer is when we pray through our prayer lists. This is the hard work of prayer. “Boots-off” prayer is our worship of God in prayer, and it should not feel like hard work. It should be joyous. In the event that you find all of your time spent praying to be difficult or awkward, this is not, however, an excuse to stop doing it. Prayer is like most spiritual disciplines. Often our “have to” comes first, but if we are PERSISTENT, our “want to” will catch up to our “have to.”
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:2-4
Our preparation for prayer should include seeing needs, noting them down, reading the Bible, sticking our noses into the spiritual walk and lives of our friends, listening to people when they talk so we can pray about their desires, fears, and needs. Even the first part of our prayer ought to be preparation for the rest of our prayer, getting God-centered and God-focused, seeking to make our will conformed to God’s will, so that we can ask God for what He wants us to have with confidence and passion.
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luke 11:5-8
Vance Havner used to jokingly remark how accurate this parable was in portraying unexpected company always seeming to show up at your house at the most miserable times. Notice the studied ambiguity whereby it’s unclear precisely whose “importunity” is being highlighted. It works either way. If it’s the borrower’s importunity, then it’s his “need” that is the cause of the friend rising at midnight. If it’s the lender’s importunity, then it’s his fear of shame in refusing the plea of his friend. We might define “importunity” as embarrassing insistence. Think of it like this: take need + urgency + persistence + shame and stir them all up in a pot and you’ll get “importunity.”
Let’s say the person who needs the bread at midnight is us. There is something we want, and we believe it is very, very important and that it is in God’s will, or maybe we want to know whether it IS in God’s will. The idea that we would pound on our neighbor’s door at midnight shows how crucial it is.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luke 11:9
The words translated as “ask” and “knock” have a connotation of persistent asking and knocking, so if even a grumpy sleepy person will respond to your “importunity” – your obvious need – when you stay after him long enough, how much MORE will your Heavenly Father respond to you, His child, when you are persistent?
This is NOT teaching that God is reluctant to help us, but if we bug Him enough, He will finally cave. It’s showing that persistence helps us to be more DEVOTED to Him.
Now let’s say that “importunity” in Luke 11:8 refers to the feeling of the lender – the person whose door is taking a pounding at midnight – and he starts to feel embarrassed, perhaps a type of second-hand embarrassment for the person who considers him to be his friend, but also because of his own reluctance to help out, and what a refusal to help would say about him.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 11:10
This is NOT teaching that we need to chide God, and say, “Lord, I can’t believe you won’t even make it so that I can pay my house note this month. I mean, COME ON, Lord, I really serve You, You know? After all I’ve done for You…” hoping that God’s face will get kind of red and He will say, “I know, you’re right, what was I thinking..? Here you go – hey, psst, don’t tell anyone that I’m slow to answer prayers, alright? I have enough trouble getting people to come to Sunday School as it is!” That’s NOT the meaning of this passage.
However, we know from Scripture that God is zealous about His Name, and He is in the business of getting glory for Himself, and that one of the ways He does that is by answering prayer, so it is right and good – not as a manipulation tactic, but as a way of calling upon the promises of God – to speak to Him about His Own glory. Moses and other Old Testament patriarchs did this. “Lord, You’ve delivered us from Egypt when we had no hope, and You promised to bring us into the promised land, and it’s totally our fault – we’ve broken the Covenant, not You – but, Lord, You know what the heathen are gonna say. They’re gonna say You weren’t powerful enough to fully deliver, or You weren’t big enough to keep Your Word. Lord, don’t let us be the cause of Your glory seeming to be diminished.”
When we honestly pray for God to glorify Himself in answering our sincere petitions, God has authorized and encouraged us to be persistent about that.
Prayer for Preparation, Provision, and Perfection
March 11, 2019 at 1:37 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Luke | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on Luke, deliverance from evil, Luke 11, model prayer, prayer, Sunday School lessons on Luke, temptation, the Lord's prayer
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:4 (emphasis added)
Previous definitions of prayer in these lessons included: talking to God; coming into God’s presence in order to submit to His will; and asking for God’s help. Now we can add that prayer is a restoration of fellowship with God.
Almost every time – if not every single time – you pray, you have sinned. When we pray, it is important to “confess” our sins – to get in agreement (I John 1:9) with God about our sin. Sin does not dissolve your RELATIONSHIP with God if you are a Christian, but it can hinder your FELLOWSHIP. “Forgive us our sins” is simple, but this does not mean that’s all we need to say. It means that there should be a simplicity about our admission that we were wrong and God is right. Elaborate prayers for forgiveness can easily turn into excuses, and, as Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe would sometimes write, an excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:4 (emphasis added)
Let’s add another definition of prayer: Prayer is a ministry planning session with God. Not only is it somewhat hypocritical to expect forgiveness from God while refusing to forgive others, but one of the first steps in effective Christian ministry is taking an inventory of our own hearts. Bitterness in our hearts will grow into a trap that defiles us and those we are trying to help. In prayer we deal with the stuff that only God knows about us. That is a great freedom and a great privilege.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 11:4 (emphasis added)
Prayer is a key to sanctification. Look at Jesus’s instruction. He did not say to ask God to lead us away from SIN, but to lead us away even from TEMPTATION. The request for deliverance from evil has a connotation of being delivered from “the evil one,” referring to Satan. Evil is not a personal entity, but Satan is. This is not a prayer for deliverance from his claim on your soul. It is a prayer for deliverance from his influence.
It is very gracious for God to allow us a part in our own sanctification, and to ordain prayer as one of the means for us to do that. It is much more difficult to sin, or to contemplate in a speculative way the things that tempt us, while we are in direct contact with our Covenant Partner.
Prayer helps us in our preparation, with our provision, and on our way to perfection in Christ.
The Deep End 
Closing in Prayer
October 17, 2023 at 1:30 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, Ephesians | 1 CommentTags: Biblical prayer, commentary on Ephesians, Ephesians 6, God's grace, prayer, sovereignty of God, Sunday School lessons on Ephesians
Ephesians 6:18
A general definition for prayer is that it is simply speaking to God. Supplication is asking God to supply what is missing: “wants” or needs. “All prayer” would include intercessions (praying for others), praise, thanksgiving, and confession and request for repentance.
Ephesians 6:19
Paul knew he needed prayer. We should should pray that God would help us to evangelize boldly and to speak correctly.
Ephesians 6:20
The last few verses in the Book of Ephesians are the closing of the letter, but they are also intended as encouragement. Encouragement is very important in the Christian life. Just as the sovereign God chooses to work through armor and prayer, He also provides the assignments He commands us to do, and He knows the things we need.
Ephesians 6:23 (emphasis added)
Peace is God’s gift. Love is God’s gift. Faith is God’s gift. They are “FROM” God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. They are provided by God’s grace. No one can love God with sincerity apart from God’s enabling grace.
Ephesians 6:24
This comes back to the idea that the power to live a Spirit-filled life must come from the Lord.
Ephesians 6:10