March 01 2026

Sunday March 01

The Frequency of Prayer

Ephesians 6:18

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful

to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”.

Today we are continuing our study of Ephesians 6:18. The first two words of that verse are, “praying always.” After Paul has instructed us to put on the whole armor of God—after telling us what armor to wear and urging us to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God—he continues by saying, “praying always.” Always praying. Now what does that mean? What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Today we want to talk about the frequency of prayer.

We have already spoken about the soldier on his knees, breathing out prayers. The spiritual breath of the believer is prayer. In contrast, the breath of the wicked person in Proverbs is lies. This does not mean that we are always talking in prayer. Jesus even warned about vain repetitions in prayers in Matthew 6:7. No, He is speaking of constantly having communion with the Lord—living in the awareness of His presence. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I believe the fear of the Lord is a constant, continual awareness of the Lord’s presence. It means you never have to say, “Lord, we come into Your presence,” because you are already in His presence.

To pray always means that we take His hand in the light as we read His Word in the morning. We open our hearts in prayer, asking Him for grace, help, mercy, and strength for the day. As we do that, we keep hold of His hand. I have told you before about a dear older lady in our church. She did not have the most beautiful voice, but she was a godly woman who could share the good news of Christ in a powerful way through her songs. I will never forget what she said one time: “If you take the hand of the Lord in the light, when it gets dark you don’t have to look for it.” That is continuing instant in prayer. That is praying always.

To pray always means that when you are tempted, you ask for help. I would encourage you to study James 1 very carefully, especially if you are dealing with temptations and trials. If you do not know which way to go, if you need wisdom, then pray for wisdom. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). God gives generously and does not hold back.

When you are blessed, you give thanks. You open your heart and acknowledge that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). When you see evil, you pray for righteousness. You flee from evil and pray that you will continue to walk in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When you meet someone who is lost, you pray for their salvation and for wisdom to be a witness to them.

I think about the disciples. They observed the Lord praying. They saw Him withdraw to solitary places to pray. On one occasion they said, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” That request is recorded in Luke 11. The Lord then began to teach them how to pray. My friend, I never read where the disciples said, “Lord, teach us how to preach. Teach us how to witness. Teach us how to heal. Teach us how to perform miracles. Teach us how to speak in tongues.” They never asked for those things. But they did say, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In essence, they were asking, “Teach us how to have the kind of constant awareness and communion with the Father that You have.” That should be our prayer today: Lord, teach us to pray.

Prayer is continual God-consciousness. In Acts 2:42, we read that the early church “continued steadfastly… in prayers.” David said in Psalm 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” My friend, we are always subject to attack. Therefore, we must always be in prayer. Jesus told His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray.” But they slept. Jesus prayed. When the temptation came, Peter failed. But Jesus stood strong in the midst of the greatest temptation ever faced—on the cross. My friend, we too can stand strong when we continue instant in prayer.

Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that men “ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Either we are praying, or we are quitting. We are praying or we are fainting, or we are failing. Oh, my friend, prayer is the breath of the Christian—that constant awareness of the breath of God. So what is the frequency of prayer? It is this: praying always—in every situation, every day, at all times—keeping your mind set on Him and continually asking for His grace and wisdom.

God bless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.