PERSEVERING PRAYER The following is an excerpt from a November 15, 2023, chapel presentation by Sam Allberry. Listen to his full message at cedarville.edu/AllberryNov2023. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul gives us four “alls”: He says praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication, with all perseverance, for all the saints. I want us to think through those four alls as we think about prayer. Here's the first one: Paul tells us to pray at all times. When Paul is saying to pray at all times in the Spirit, he's saying to pray as a Christian, to pray within the framework of the Gospel. Pray because you now can pray in the name of Jesus. And this Christian prayer has to happen at all times. No matter what you're going through, it's always a good time to pray. However you are feeling, pray, because we have access to God at all times. Secondly, Paul says we should pray with all prayer. Paul uses more than one word for prayer because there is more than one kind of prayer. There are joyful prayers of celebration, of gratitude, of victory. There are sad prayers of confession, of lament, of defeat. There are short prayers and there are long prayers; there are big prayers and small prayers. There are also prayers when we know what we're trying to say and prayers where we just don't, where we just think, "Lord, I can't even wrap my head around the situation. I don't even know how to pray. I just know that I need you." Even those inarticulate prayers get heard. Next, Paul says that we're to pray with all perseverance. Prayer is going to involve perseverance. We have to persevere with prayer because it takes work to pray. So here's what Jesus does. When Jesus wants us to keep praying and not lose heart, He reminds us what God is like. God loves it when you show up with need. So when we turn up with our whole heap of need and prayer requests, God is not rolling his eyes. Note that we are the ones who need perseverance. And we find it when we remember what God is like. God will never change. We can always come before Him. Maturity in the Christian life is needing Jesus more, not needing Jesus less. And finally, Paul encourages us to pray for all the saints. So here's what we need to know: There is not a Christian today who doesn't need prayer. We need to pray for all the saints because no one is beyond the loving attention of God the Father. We have to pray for all the saints because God loves answering prayer for all the saints. How do we do this? The best way of doing what Paul is telling us to do is to realize Jesus is already doing it. Jesus right now prays at all times, with all prayers, with all perseverance, for all the saints. So the best way for us to become people who pray like that is just to keep looking at Him. And that will move our hearts to do the same thing, because the more we stare at Jesus, the more like Him we become. Sam Allberry is a Christian author and Associate Pastor at Immanuel Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee. UPCOMING CHAPELS April 2–3 Carl Trueman Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies Grove City College Grove City, Pennsylvania April 9 Bob and Dannah Gresh Founders True Girl and Born to Be Brave State College, Pennsylvania April 11–12 Jason Duesing Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Kansas City, Missouri August 19–22, 2024 Fall Bible Conference Philip Miller ’04 Senior Pastor of The Moody Church Chicago, Illinois CHAPEL NOTES 30
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