Pray Always

Ephesians 6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Many scholars believe that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter from prison to the Ephesian people, whom he had pastored for three years and knew very well. This letter was a practical guide to living a Christ-inspired and holy life. 

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions. All kinds of prayers? Pray for All the Lord's people. 

How often I find myself thinking that I shouldn’t bother God with my seemingly unimportant problems…when I look around our world and see suffering and pain on such a large scale I feel embarrassed to ask for the attention of our Almighty God.  How very wrong I am, to put God in a box that limits His attention and care, as if He only has so much time in a day to listen! Our God is infinite in His care and willingness to hear our prayers. So let’s get in the practice of bringing all of our cares to him, asking for help and praising His holiness.  We can be alert and pray for all the Lord’s people by sending a prayer at any minute of any day…do you see a stranger struggling? Pray. A friend shared a burden? Pray. A beautiful sunset? Pray. 

Will you pray now with me?

Lord God, We ask that you help us notice your people in the world that are in need and lift them to you wherever they may be close or far. We come to you with our concerns, big and small, to be in a relationship with you where we trust you to hear us, all of us. Thank you for your infinite care for us all. Amen. 

This devotional was written and recorded by Leslie Ragland.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.