Good Morning Mateys!
Ephesians 6:18; “praying at all times in the Spirit, with
all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance,
making supplication for all the saints,”
It always helps “to know a guy.”
It always helps to have some inside access or special help or a friend
who understands what is going on. If you
were a fan of M*A*S*H, Radar O’Reilly always knew a guy in one of the other
MASH units or in Seoul or somewhere to help get some piece of equipment or
medicine that they needed. “Knowing a
guy” used to get Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton in trouble. Yet for most of us, we probably live by the
old saying “it is not what you know but who you know” as a matter of truth.
In our verse, Paul tells us to make supplication for all the saints. The word for supplication in Greek is “deesis.”
The meaning of the word is along the line of someone who has a
special relationship with the king or prince and thus is able to seek favors
for others. So if you needed to have
your neighbor punished for some misdeed, you might go to the king’s nephew or
brother and ask him to talk to the king for you. There is a person who has a special
relationship or standing that allows him to do this. It is like the school janitor’s kids who
always got to play in the gym when nobody else did. You need “to know a guy.” This way you can get some special treatment.
The interesting part is that you are the guy. You are the one with this special
relationship with God. You are his
child, precious in his sight. You are
allowed to enter into his presence, calling out “Abba” which is a Greek phrase similar to our daddy. We are the guy with this special connection
or relationship that someone may need to ask a favor of us.
So Paul encourages us to use this special relationship and to exploit it
by coming before God with special requests.
Requests like comfort for a neighbor, healing for a friend, compassion
for another; these are what Paul tells us to ask. Paul encourages us to go to the Father and
ask the Father to grant our requests for those whom we know who may be in need
of God’s grace. It might be the fellow
you work with who is an unbeliever and struggling with life. It might be the homeless person you see when
you drive to the store. It might be the
single parent in the grocery line who is struggling to put food on the table
and spend enough time with their children.
There are lots of people who need you to use your privileged
relationship with God and plead for mercy.
Call upon the Lord that these and all those who suffer may find
peace. Pray for the hurting and the
lost. Pray for the sick and the dying. All need your prayers; all need God’s
comfort. They need “to know a guy” and
that guy is you.
Father,
send your healing to the broken and hurting people. Send your Spirit to restore and to comfort
the wounded. Restore the lost and give
hope to all people. In the precious name
of Jesus we pray. Amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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