Praying in the Spirit
Barnes on Ephesians 6:17-18
Praying always - It would be well for the soldier who goes forth to battle to pray - to pray for victory; or to pray that he may be prepared for death, should he fall. But soldiers do not often feel the necessity of this. To the Christian soldier, however, it is indispensable. Prayer crowns all lawful efforts with success and gives a victory when nothing else would. No matter how complete the armor; no matter how skilled we may be in the science of war; no matter how courageous we may be, we may be certain that without prayer we shall be defeated. God alone can give the victory; and when the Christian soldier goes forth armed completely for the spiritual conflict, if he looks to God by prayer, he may be sure of a triumph. This prayer is not to be intermitted. It is to be always. In every temptation and spiritual conflict we are to pray; see notes on Luke 18:1.
With all prayer and supplication - With all kinds of prayer; prayer in the closet, the family, the social meeting, the great assembly; prayer at the usual hours, prayer when we are specially tempted, and when we feel just like praying (see the notes, Matthew 6:6) prayer in the form of supplication for ourselves, and in the form of intercession for others. This is, after all, the great weapon of our spiritual armor, and by this we may hope to prevail.
“Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian armor bright,
And Satan trembles when he sees.
The meanest saint upon his knees.”
In the Spirit - By the aid of the Holy Spirit; or perhaps it may mean that it is not to be prayer of form merely, but when the spirit and the heart accompany it. The former idea seems, however, to be the correct one.
And watching thereunto - Watching for opportunities to pray; watching for the spirit of prayer; watching against all those things which would hinder prayer; see the Matthew 26:38, note, 41, note; compare 1 Peter 4:7.
Craig Keener on Ephesians 6:18
It is not clear that prayer for one another (v. 18) continues the figurative image of warfare in the preceding context, but if it does it might relate to how the soldiers had to stand together in their battle formation, covering one another by moving as a solid unit. A Roman soldier by himself was vulnerable, but as a unified army a Roman legion was considered virtually invincible. “Watching” or “being alert” may also be military language (suggested by Jesus; cf. Mk 14:38). Prayer in the *Spirit probably implies inspired prayer (cf. 1 Cor 14). In Greek, the alliteration of multiple p- words could appeal to Paul’s hearers as rhetorically sensitive.
Spurgeon on Jude 20
Faith is the first divine grace, the root of piety, the foundation of holiness, the dawn of godliness, to this must the first care be given. But we must not tarry at the first principles. Onward is our course.
What then follows at the heels of faith? What is faith’s firstborn child? When the vine of faith becomes vigorous and produces fruit unto holiness, which is the first ripe cluster? Is it not prayer, “Praying in the Holy Ghost”? That man has no faith who has no prayer, and the man who abounds in faith will soon abound in supplication. Faith the mother and prayer the child are seldom apart from one another. Faith carries prayer in her arms, and prayer draws life from the breast of faith. Edification in faith leads to fervency in supplication. Elijah first manifests his faith before the priests of Baal, and then retires to wrestle with God upon Carmel.
Study our text carefully, and see what follows after “Praying in the Holy Ghost.” “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” Next to prayer comes an abiding sense of the love of God to us and the flowing up of our love towards God. Prayer builds an altar and lays the sacrifice and the wood in order, and then love, like the priest, brings holy fire from heaven and sets the offering in a blaze. Faith is, as we have said, the root of grace, prayer is the lily’s stalk, and love is the spotless flower. Faith sees the Savior, prayer follows Him into the house, but love breaks the alabaster box of precious ointment and pours it on His head.
And what shall be said of the prayers at prayer meetings? Are not many of them mere words? It were better if our friends would not speak at all rather than speak in the flesh. I am sure that the only prayer in which the devout hearer can unite, and which is acceptable with God, is that which really is a heartprayer, a soul-prayer, in fact, a prayer which the Holy Ghost moves us to pray. All else is beating the air and occupying time in vain.
Here I shall need to speak at greater length. Praying how? By the book? Without a book? In public? In private? By the way? In the house? On your knees? Standing? Sitting? Kneeling? Nothing is said about these. Posture, place, and time are all left open. There is no rule except one, “in the Holy Ghost.” That is indispensable. That granted, nothing else signifies one whit. If it is praying in the Holy Ghost, all else may be as you will.
The carnal man can “read the office,” and “do duty” as well as anybody else who can read a book, but he is not praying. No prayer can come from him. Only the spiritual man can sigh and long, and cry in his inmost heart, and in the chamber of his soul before God, but he will not do it except as the Spirit of truth leads him in sincerity into the secret of heart-prayer.
Spurgeon on Zechariah 12:10
Sermon The words may be broken and confused, but what are words? Sighs, tears, heaving of the breast, and upward glancings of the eye - these are true prayers, and are very prevalent with God.
The hardness of the heart dies when we see Jesus die in woe so great.
But here is the point—have you this “Spirit of supplications” this morning? Are you groaning, crying, sighing—“Lord, save, or I perish—give me Christ, or else I die”? Well then, I trust you have come under the sacred outpouring promised in the text—“I will pour upon the house of David, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.”