Since Paul speaks about prayer in connection with wearing the spiritual armour, people have wondered if he is suggesting that prayer is the equivalent of a war cry. He could have done, but equally he could be indicating that prayer accompanies each piece of the armour.
It has often been noticed that Paul mentions the word ‘all’ over times here: all times, all prayer, all perseverance and all saints. He urges his readers to pray at all times, but qualifies his exhortation by adding ‘in the Spirit’. After all, prayer can be a very demanding activity for which we require divine strength in order to persist in the task and to remain fresh and alert.
‘All prayer and supplication’ may refer to various types of prayer, with each type being accompanied by supplication. Prayer can be intercession for others, can be cries for divine help, can be expressions of gratitude, can be longings for fellowship with God, can be desires for spiritual growth. The list is long, but what should be our attitude? Supplication is connected to begging, and this word reminds us that we are unworthy to receive divine answers. Prayer is not made by demands of God, but by humble requests to God.
All perseverance reminds us that prayer often involves the long haul, especially when praying for other saints. There is a sense in which we can pray for all the saints when we ask the Lord to bless his church in a general way. We certainly should pray for the saints we know, and even praying for them takes quite a lot of time, so perseverance is essential.
Paul wanted others to pray for him, and he requested prayer that he would be a good witness to the gospel. He may have had in mind an appearance in court in Rome, or he may have been referring to occasions when he could announce the gospel to those he met. His concern was that he would be bold and clear on such occasions. He asked for prayer from his friends, and so can we.
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