“To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.”
– Ephesians 6:18
A Reminder to Pray for the Boldness of All Believers
These verses exhort us to constantly pray, to persevere in prayer, making supplication for all the saints, that we must pray for our brothers and sisters around us, and brothers and sisters around the world, and specifically, Paul says to pray that words may be given to him, to followers of Christ, to open our mouths boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.
We should persevere in prayer, asking God for boldness toproclaim the gospel.
I find it interesting all throughout the New Testament, we see in the book of Acts the church is praying for boldness to share the gospel. We see a place like this in Ephesians 6:18 where Paul is asking for prayer for boldness. I think the picture we see is, that there is oftentimes a timidity in followers of Christ. I know I see it in my own life.
When it comes to proclaiming the gospel, we’re prone to be silent with the gospel, and so we need to pray in our own lives for boldness. And we need to pray for boldness in each other’s lives. I want to do that. I want to lead us to do that right now. In Ephesians 6:18 to make supplication for one another, and to pray specifically for boldness in opening our mouths to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. So let’s pray.
Prayer: Put on the Armor of God
Oh, God, right now we want to do Ephesians 6:18. We want to make supplication for saints around us. As well as for followers of Christ around us, and followers of Christ around the world. In light of this picture of the armor of God that you give to us, help our brothers and sisters, and help us to live with these things. With the belt of truth fastened around us, and with the breastplate of righteousness. Our feet fitted with the readiness that’s given by the gospel of peace. With a shield of faith with which we can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. With the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, your word, praying in your spirit at all times. So we pray for that to be a reality in our lives, and the lives of our brothers and sisters around us.
Ephesians 6:18: A Prayer for Boldness
And God, we pray specifically for boldness to open our mouths and proclaim the mystery of the gospel. We confess our timidity. We confess our tendency to be silent with the gospel. And so we pray for each of our lives. God, I pray for each person that’s listening to this right now. We pray for people around us, for other followers of Christ around us.
God, help us to be bold in proclaiming the gospel today. Please help us. Help us to be bold in proclaiming the gospel today. Please open up opportunities for us to share the gospel. Please give us boldness to take advantage of those opportunities. We pray that the mystery of the gospel, the good news of your grace, might spread through us today.
Prayer for the Salvation of Others Through the Gospel
Oh, God, we pray that you would save others. That you would bring others to Christ through our sharing the gospel today. God, help us not to be silent with this. We see Paul saying, “Pray that I may declare boldly as I ought to speak” and we know we ought to speak this gospel. We want to speak this gospel, so God, help us to speak it today. And We pray that you would show the power of the gospel, and bring friends, family members, co-workers, just acquaintances that we come across today, to Christ. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
