I talked last weekend about a prayer that could change your life. If you missed it, you’re probably wondering about a prayer such as this. The template is found in Paul’s instruction about putting on God’s armor. Just read his words here:
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV
Paul describes seven pieces of armor. All of which illustrate a specific aspect to this prayer. The list is broken down according to its meaning. Don’t get too caught up in the language; it’s pretty straightforward. How do you put on this figurative armor? You put it on by praying it on every day. My encouragement to you is to pray on each piece before you ever get out of bed.
What are the seven parts of this prayer as illustrated by the armor?
(1) The truth I know about God (belt of truth)
(2) A commitment to right things (breastplate of righteousness)
(3) A willingness to live the gospel (feet fitted for the gospel)
(4) A confidence in God (shield of faith)
(5) The assurance of God’s saving me (helmet of salvation)
(6) The listening for God’s message (sword of the Spirit)
(7) Prayer about everything (prayer)
So, I thought I would offer the typical sample prayer I pray in the mornings and even sometimes throughout the day:
“Father, thank you for being God. Today I honor and exalt you. You are omnipotent, the good Father, love, provider, peace, immutable, just, holy, healer, omniscient, omnipresent, merciful, sovereign, faithful, grace, comforter, master and my whole strength. I recognize it is you that holds all things together. I also recognize that you are my righteousness; I live and thrive in your righteousness. And, because of that, I desire to live rightly out of your righteousness today. I desire to do what is right and appropriate today. Guard my heart; it is yours. I am ready to walk where you lead today. May I be that person of peace, as one living the gospel! Where you send, prompt or lead, I will follow. As I pick up this shield of faith, I know my confidence isn’t in me, but it is completely in you. I believe in you, I trust and my faith is firmly grounded in you. I trust you completely; I will not doubt. Even when the attacks and assaults come, even if my life gets stinky today, I still believe. Today, I stand in and know your salvation. Guard my mind. I recognize you’ve saved me. There’s nothing I could have done to earn it. Today, I recognize your grace and salvation at work in me. I will not doubt, but live confidently in you. Holy Spirit, I’m listening for you today. May I be sensitive, aware and attentive to your words as you remind, teach, direct and speak! I’m all ears! God thank you for listening to me. How I long to hear from you. As I pray, know the people and circumstance dear to me. Would you intervene, move and work in each person and circumstance. And God, I’ll give you the glory for it all. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
This is powerful. It’s a prayer of surrender, belief, trust, hope and rest. It’s the right way to start the day; it’s the right way to live throughout the day.
