Scripture: 'With all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplica¬tion for all the saints and on my behalf."—EPH. vi. 18, 19. R. V.
What a sense Paul had of the deep divine unity of the whole " body of Christ and of the actual need of unceasing prayer for all the members of the body by all who belong to it. That he did not mean this to be an occasional thing, but the un¬ceasing exercise of the life union in which they were bound together, is evident from the words he uses, "with all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the Spirit and watching thereunto, in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." He expects believers to be so filled with the consciousness of their being in Christ, and through Him united consciously to the whole body, that in their daily life and all its engagements, their highest aim would ever be the welfare of the body of Christ of which they had become members. He counted upon their being filled with the Spirit, so that it would be perfectly natural to them, without the thought of burden or constraint, to pray for all who belong to the body of Jesus Christ. As natural as it is for each member of my body to be ready every moment to do what is needful for the welfare of the whole, even so, where the Holy Spirit has entire possession, the consciousness of union with Christ will ever be accompanied by consciousness of the union and the joy and the love of all the members.
Is not this what we need in our daily life, that every believer who has yielded himself undividedly to Christ Jesus, shall day by day, every day, and all the day, live in the consciousness that he is one with Christ and His body ? Just as this war has brought to light the intensity and the readiness with which millions of the subjects of the King sacrifice their all for the King and his service, so the saints of God shall live for Christ their King, and also for all the members of that Body of which He is the Head. May God's people be willing for this sacrifice of prayer and intercession at all times and for all saints!
