Ephesians 6:18 - "Supplications for all the Saints"

We want to talkabout this very last phrase: “Supplication for all the saints”. So we are to bepraying always with watchfulness, with perseverance, and be praying orsupplicating for all the saints. I cannot say it enough times—we are to bepraying for others. AsPaul tells us to pray here, two Greek words are actually used for the words prayersand supplications. The word supplication is used twice in thisverse of Scripture. The word prayer is a Greek word that means generalprayer. So we have general prayers that we pray like the Lord’s prayer inMatthew 6 that begins with: “Our Father”. Even as we pray OurFather, I notice that Jesus did not say to pray “My Father,” because ourFather speaks of corporate prayer. We pray together with the church, fellowbelievers. Together we are praying with others—Our Father. Also, we are prayingwith Jesus, “our Father”. The Father of Jesus is our Father. Our Father. Oh,that is the way we start our prayers—Our Father—and we go before Him thinkingof others and not just of ourselves. Pauldid not say, “Pray for me first.” Now, he does say that later, and here he doesnot say, “Pray for yourself.” He says pray for others and for all the saints.Remember what Samuel said in his parting words to Israel in 1 Samuel 12:23, “Farbe it from me that I should sin against the Lord and cease to pray for you.” Weare members of one body. If one member is weak, then  we need others in the church to strengthenthat one person with our prayers, to grow the body of Jesus Christ. Thegreatest and most important thing you can do for another believer is to prayfor them. My friend, many of us believers get self-centered in our prayers, andwe become weak because we are not praying for others as we should. Whodo you pray for? You pray for your spouse. You pray for your children. You prayfor your church. You pray for missionaries. You pray for your pastor. You prayfor persecuted believers who are suffering even now around the world. One ofthe aids I have found that really helps me in my daily prayers—and I have along list of people to pray for—is a little book called Pray for Me, byTony Souder. I have been using this as a prayer guide now for over ten years.It is Pray for Me, and it has 13 weeks of seven prayers in each week—topray specifically for people. Originally,this was used to encourage older adults to pray for the young people in ourchurch. But I found it is good to pray this for all my grown children, mygrandchildren, and now my great-grandchild—to pray for my wife as well. As I ampraying these prayers, I often read them out loud and pray them for thesespecific people by name daily. I find that I also pray for myself and say, “OhLord, I need this prayer. I trust somebody is praying this prayer for metoday.” Thiskeeps me from just saying the same old, same old prayer: “Father, bless mybrother, bless my sister, bless this person, bless that one, help this person.”We have specific needs and supplications. The word supplications is actually theGreek word for specific prayer. So he says, “supplications for all thesaints”. We pray specific prayers for all the saints that the Lord has broughtinto our lives. God help us to be doing that. You can be doing that. Youmight be saying, “I do not know what to pray.” Take time to look up and prayprayers like Colossians 1:9–12. Also prayers like Ephesians 1:16–22 and Ephesians3:14–21. Paul said that is what he was praying for the saints at these churches.You can pray those prayers, too. Read these prayers right out of the Bible for fellowbelievers, for your pastor and missionaries, for your family members, and whoeverthe Lord might bring to your mind while you are praying. Maythe Lord help us as we pray for others and fulfill this verse—"supplicationfor all the saints”.