March 04 2026

Wednesday March 04

“Supplication For All the Saints”

Ephesians 6:18

Today we are continuing to look at Ephesians 6:18, where the Apostle Paul, after telling us to put on the whole armor of God and to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, continues by saying, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” We want to talk about this very last phrase: “Supplication for all the saints”. So we are to be praying always with watchfulness, with perseverance, and be praying or supplicating for all the saints. I cannot say it enough times—we are to be praying for others.

As Paul tells us to pray here, two Greek words are actually used for the words prayers and supplications. The word supplication is used twice in this verse of Scripture. The word prayer is a Greek word that means general prayer. So we have general prayers that we pray like the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6 that begins with: “Our Father”. Even as we pray Our Father, I notice that Jesus did not say to pray “My Father,” because our Father speaks of corporate prayer. We pray together with the church, fellow believers. Together we are praying with others—Our Father. Also, we are praying with 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 thinking of others and not just of ourselves.

Paul did not say, “Pray for me first.” Now, he does say that later, and here he does not 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, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord and cease to pray for you.” We are members of one body. If one member is weak, then  we need others in the church to strengthen that one person with our prayers, to grow the body of Jesus Christ. The greatest and most important thing you can do for another believer is to pray for them. My friend, many of us believers get self-centered in our prayers, and we become weak because we are not praying for others as we should.

Who do you pray for? You pray for your spouse. You pray for your children. You pray for your church. You pray for missionaries. You pray for your pastor. You pray for persecuted believers who are suffering even now around the world. One of the aids I have found that really helps me in my daily prayers—and I have a long list of people to pray for—is a little book called Pray for Me, by Tony 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—to pray specifically for people.

Originally, this was used to encourage older adults to pray for the young people in our church. But I found it is good to pray this for all my grown children, my grandchildren, and now my great-grandchild—to pray for my wife as well. As I am praying these prayers, I often read them out loud and pray them for these specific people by name daily. I find that I also pray for myself and say, “Oh Lord, I need this prayer. I trust somebody is praying this prayer for me today.”

This keeps me from just saying the same old, same old prayer: “Father, bless my brother, bless my sister, bless this person, bless that one, help this person.” We have specific needs and supplications. The word supplications is actually the Greek word for specific prayer. So he says, “supplications for all the saints”. We pray specific prayers for all the saints that the Lord has brought into our lives. God help us to be doing that. You can be doing that.

You might be saying, “I do not know what to pray.” Take time to look up and pray prayers like Colossians 1:9–12. Also prayers like Ephesians 1:16–22 and Ephesians 3:14–21. 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 fellow believers, for your pastor and missionaries, for your family members, and whoever the Lord might bring to your mind while you are praying.

May the Lord help us as we pray for others and fulfill this verse—"supplication for all the saints”.

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