Ephesians 6:18

praying always Lit., praying on every occasion, every incident of life, especially every incident of temptation. Cp. the yet broader and deeper precept, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "pray without intermission." See too Luke 18:1; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 1:3; Colossians 1:9; Colossians 4:2. The attitude of the believer's mind is to be one of perpetual prayer, in the sense of continuously maintaining a trustful and humble reference of all parts of life to his Lord's will and grace. This will express itself in acts, if only momentary and wholly internal acts, of adoration and petition at each felt crisis of need. See Hebrews 4:16.

with Lit., by means of; the expressions being the instrumentsof the spiritual state.

all prayer and supplication "All:" every variety; deliberate, ejaculatory; public, private, secret; confessing, asking, praising. Or again, more simply, with a full, not partial and niggardly, employment of the privilege and resource of prayer.

"Prayer" is the larger word, "supplication" the more definite. The former includes the whole attitude and action of the creature's approach to God; the latter denotes only petition. "Prayer," however, is very often used in this narrower sense. See out of many passages Matthew 5:44; Luke 22:40. The two words occur together, as here, Php 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:1; 1 Timothy 5:5.

in the Spirit So also R. V. Lit., "in spirit;" but see last note on Ephesians 2:22 above. The Holy Spirit was to be "the Place" of the prayer, in the sense of being the surrounding, penetrating, transforming atmosphere of the spirit of the praying Christian. Cp. Zechariah 12:10; Romans 8:26; Judges 20.

watching Keeping awake. The Gr. word occurs also Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36; Hebrews 13:17. There was to be no indolent, somnolent oblivion of the need of prayer, or of the fact of offered prayer. For similar precepts (with another Gr. word) see Matthew 26:41; Colossians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:7.

with all perseverance Lit., in (as R. V.). "All:" that is, "full," "utmost;" so "all faith" (1 Corinthians 13:2). For a close parallel to the thought see Romans 12:12; where lit., "in the (matter of) prayer, persevering." Our Lord's parable (Luke 18:1, &c.), makes it plain that persistency as well as trust has a mysterious value in the efficacy of prayer.

supplication "Allsupplication;" the "all" being implied from the previous words. "All:" with the full particularity and thoughtfulness proper to faithful intercessions.

for all saints Lit., for all the saints. With a noble abruptness the thought, long detained upon the combat and resources of the individual, and of the single community, now runs out to the great circle of the Church. The inner connexion of ideas is close and strong. The Christian cannot really arm himself with Christ, and use his armour, without getting nearer in sympathy to the brotherhood of the saints of Christ. Cp. 1 Peter 5:9 for the same connexion otherwise indicated.

" Saints:" see on Ephesians 1:1 above.