May 22, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Find out what pleases the Lord. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 5.10; Ephesians 6.18-20)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

As we look at those closing verses of Ephesians, chapter six, we will see those valued predictors which create a life that is pleasing to God and functional in fostering a life in others that does the same: prayer, alertness, discipling and fearlessness. Let us look at the call to “alertness” which pleases God.

As I consider the call to “alertness” I have to move back one verse and capture a very significant concept, if not actually the most important one, to highlight Paul’s teaching on prayer, our prayer life and our life which is a ministry of prayer. We saw the connection to Paul’s call to prayer in the Thessalonian letters to “pray at all times” or “pray without ceasing.” What a challenge it is to be in a constant state and/or mindset of prayer! As I went through my day yesterday, I was convicted by my own reflection on this. I called myself into accountability on several occasions with questions such as “What kind of prayer was that?” and realizations such as “Wow, that was probably not the best prayerful response I could have made.” And while I believe in that rubric of living life as if it were a constant and continual prayer between God and myself, I know it is hard to be perfect at it. I want to be one of those of whom it would be said, “The prayers of a righteous person avails much.” (James 5.16) I am convicted further in this train of thinking by the seeming lack of an answer to my prayers with “Does this mean I am not righteous enough or not at all?” I remember that season of life when my mother, whose 88th birthday would have been last week, struggled mightily with cancer. The fact that she died at the age of 47 might lead some to say it was “a losing battle.” Strange how we define wins and losses for such things. If she was fighting a battle to defeat cancer so she could live longer on earth and that was her aim and goal, then we lost and so, too, would we all unless Jesus comes sometime before we die. But her battle best described in the words of Paul from Ephesians 6: ^“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Of course, she would have loved to live longer and experience more of life with her family here on earth. Still, her battle against cancer was not a losing battle. She kept the faith and dove deeper into the pool of God’s love and mercy. She never lost sight of what her real purpose was and that was to follow her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That she did with dignity and joy and for it she is now able to sing a new song which is forever pleasing to God.

How? She does this now because she didn’t try to be perfect but faithful. She knew her limitations and accepted what she could do when others said she couldn’t and what she couldn’t do unless the Spirit of God was with her. This is what Paul said to the Ephesians: “Pray in the Spirit always.” I am not speaking here of glossolalia, speaking in tongues. Paul warned the Corinthian faith community about this when he wrote “If I had the ability to speak as with the tongues of men and the angels….” He even counted glossolalia the least of gifts. I believe he thought that because of the division it created within the body of Christ. What was most important was one’s ability to speak with the language of love, God’s authentic love. It is by that love God created the heavens and the earth. He did so by “speaking,” praying, in the Spirit. Quite successfully, I might add. It is by that same spirit those who are disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ are able to do great things and fulfill the proclamation of Jesus who said “Greater things will you do than I have done.” (John 14.12) What we are not able to do or say, the Holy Spirit is given to us to show the way and the means to accomplish what is needed. Our reliance, as my mother relied on the Spirit for her life as well, defines our position as being righteous. That does not mean we are perfect. Yet, with each success we experience [as the disciples experienced success in their ministry when Jesus sent them out two by two] there comes a power, a belief and a more active faith to do more for the Kingdom of God.

One of those “more we can do” is to be alert and aware. When we pray and live by the Spirit and in the Spirit, our sensitivities are more on point. I call it our “sixth sense.” No, not that we can see dead people, except that we will be able to see Christ who lives in us and in others. He is not dead, of course, but did die. He appeared to His followers after the resurrection not as a mortal man but as a true spiritual being. He showed them, as the gospel shows us, what it is like to walk by faith and not by sight. He was aware of thoughts, intentions, assumptions and needs before they were even spoken. He could inspire others to reveal them, many times to their dismay, and bring about healing for those who would confess and believe. Jesus would say often “Your faith has made you well.” In this, we are truly “alert” because the Spirit knows all of the heart and mind of God who abides with us and within us. Mighty ones of God, we must seek this character of a successful life with our whole self. We must open ourselves to the indwelling and the leading of the Holy Spirit. We must be on point and alert to the need of those around us, including our own, and submit them to God in prayer as we abide in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.