April 8

Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. — Eph 6:18 BSB

If we don’t continually “pray in the Spirit,” our spiritual muscles will weaken, and our armor will fall off. In the old days, knights practiced daily in full armor, or they wouldn’t have been able to bear its weight or use their weapons with skill and strength. In the same way, the Christian warrior must, through prayer and supplication, “exercise himself unto godliness.” To this, we must add “watching unto it”—watching for the answer and waiting for the Lord’s appearance, “more than watchmen wait for the morning.” And we must persevere, never giving up, pleading with the Lord again and again, wrestling with Him until He blesses, visits, and shines upon the soul.

This heavenly practice keeps every piece of armor bright and the soldier skilled in using it. The armor itself, being from heaven, doesn’t get dull or rusty; it is we who grow sluggish in its use. But, to our perception, faith and prayer make it shine more brightly. For example, the “prayer of faith” makes the belt of truth glitter and shine. It polishes the breastplate, fitting it closely to the heart. It makes the helmet gleam in the sun, with its noble plumes waving in all their glory. It straightens out every dent in the shield from the fiery darts of the enemy, readying it for new battles. And it sharpens the sword of the Spirit, giving it a bright polish and strengthening the arm to wield it with renewed energy.

This is the secret of true victory! Everything is well when we are in a prayerful, meditative, watchful state. And everything is ill when this heavenly discipline is neglected—when hands droop, knees grow weak, and prayer feels dead and motionless. But if there is an abiding spirit of prayer in the soul, victory is assured. Satan has little power over the soul that maintains an abiding spirit of prayer, watching with all perseverance. But without this spirit of prayer, we fall prey to all his temptations and cannot wear or use the only armor that protects us from them.