Let us turn in our Bibles for our Scripture Reading. In the Book of Ephesians 6:10-20

 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: ¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; ¹⁹ And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Let us pay attention to verse 18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; — Ephesians 6:18

A great benefit of the Christian community is that believers in Christ pray for one another. Our reading today urges us to pray “on all occasions” and “for all of the Lord’s people” always. This is important because amid all the activities and busyness we may face each day, we’re in a struggle against evil. The forces of evil do not want us to love one another.

Praying for others is a pattern seen throughout Scripture— from Moses’ praying that God would be merciful to his people (I prayed therefore unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Deuteronomy 9:26), to various psalms of David, to Daniel’s prayer that God’s people be freed from exile (Daniel 9), to the prayers of Jesus throughout his ministry, and to the prayers of his apostles for believers every­where. The apostle Paul, for example, begins his letter to the Philippian Christians by assuring them that he is praying for them (I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴ Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, ⁵ For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; ⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:3-6).

There are so many people and situations we can pray for. When someone comes to mind, it may be that the Spirit is nudging you to pray. Praying may come more naturally to some than to others. But all of us can pray for others. All we need is to be open to the leading of God’s Spirit.

Do you pray for others? It’s an important part of fulfilling Christ’s command to love one another each day.

Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus, you taught us by example to pray for others. Help us to take time throughout our busy, complex days to pray for one another. Empower us with your Spirit. Help us to make this an every day, every moment exercise in our daily walk with You. Amen.