Theme

As we pray this week, we are preserving in faith by praying in the Holy Spirit

Scriptures

Ephesians 6:18-20: 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. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Jude 1:20-21: But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Notice

Two things stand out: first, that we are to pray "on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (translation: all the time, always, anyway) and second, Paul asks for prayer for himself that "words may be given [him]" to make known the gospel. Paul! Writer of many of the New Testament epistles, apostle of Jesus, had a personal encounter with God...*that* Paul asked people to pray for words to be given to him by the Holy Spirit.  If Paul asked for prayer for that, surely we should not hesitate to pray for the same thing.

Pray

This week, I encourage you to try praying about everything that pops into your mind to pray about.  Don't tell yourself something isn't "worth" praying about, don't tell someone you'll pray for them and then forget to do it, don't worry or stress about something without talking to God about it, don't talk to a friend about it and not talk to God about it.  For just one week try taking all occasions and requests to God with all kinds of prayers - quick prayers, long prayers, wordy prayers, no-word prayers, Scripture-as-prayer, all of it.  That might seem excessive and/or chaotic, but if it does, I urge you even more to try it out.

Then, also pray for what Paul asked for - "that whenever [you] speak, words may be given [you] so that [you] will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel".  See how God responds through the Spirit.  

Practice

This week, the lines between "pray" and "practice" are a little blurred.  If you are praying for words, make sure you keep your eyes open for the opportunity to share that God may be bringing you along with the words.  Actively be on the look out for where and when you can share God's words with people who might need them.