Thank you Barb Gerhart for providing our devotional blog this week while Pastor Steve is away!

Ping!

Beep!

Buzz…

Trill!

Pulse…

Chime…

Chirps (like that Star Wars droid).

Whah-whah-whah! That annoying alarm when you want to sleep just…five…more…minutes! 

How much of your day is programmed by these noises? 

Life is filled with these audio cues, each one alerting us to a task or need that requires attention. They tell us to wake up, buckle your seat belt, shut the car door, open the microwave, make the appointment, start the timer, answer a text, check your blood sugar, stay in your lane…

My co-worker was describing her sleepless night. Her phone pinged at 2:30 a.m. She couldn’t turn it off and had no idea what it was for. Every time she drifted back to sleep, another ping! We laughed (a little) about noises that order—or disturb—our day. 

A few minutes later, someone read the familiar verses from Ephesians 6, about the armor of God, and standing firm in the battle. One phrase caught my attention. Can you guess? 

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.” (Ephesians 6:18-19, New Living Translation). 

“Stay alert…”  

Readiness for the spiritual battle is outlined in verses 10-17. Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord, put on the armor to withstand the enemy…all that great stuff. So when it then says, “stay alert”, I usually think of alertness as being on guard for the enemy and his attacks. And this is good practice, of course—his strategies can wreak havoc. 

Yet this call to be alert is pocketed in the context of prayer. The beginning of verse 18 tells us to “pray in the Holy Spirit” which anyone can do when the Spirit of God has taken up residence in them through the salvation and power of Jesus Christ. This “be alert” is followed by instruction and encouragement: Be persistent in praying for other believers. Persevere, make supplication, intercede for all the saints. For your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. Then Paul asks his friends in Ephesus to pray for him, for his mission to share the Good News.  

The call is to stay alert to the Holy Spirit! To listen for that ping, buzz, or nudge to follow His prompt and pray for the saints. Be alert and bring Him into the battle. It could in your own mind, heart, or actions of the moment—pay attention, get back in your lane, something needs to change. 

It’s not always for or about you. According to Paul, this alert may be to pray for the saints. Your brothers and sister, fellow soldiers in the fray. Someone is fighting a battle and it’s time to lift their weary hands, to stand behind or beside them through prayer. To add Spirit-fueled reinforcements so they can persevere in the spiritual struggle—along with any physical, mental, or emotional battles. To stand in the gap. Or to stand over them, raising the sword of the Spirit to defend them from the fiery darts of the evil one.  

I wish the Holy Spirit had a ringtone! Instead, we must learn to “hear” the inaudible (usually) cues that alert us for prayer. 

Have you ever had a sudden out-of-the-blue moment when someone’s name or picture comes to mind? And it doesn’t leave. That can be an alert—take a moment to pray for them.  

Ever been in a conversation with a friend or two, talking about a situation or event, and you get a sense that something deeper is going on? That there’s a need or question or hurt below the surface that someone can’t quite say. Or their demeanor gives the impression of a greater struggle. Be alert—respond. It may be a hand on a shoulder. Or a “Hey, can I pray for you, for this right now?” Stand beside them, bring the Spirit of God into their battle. 

Maybe it’s that good Bible study discussion that went from openness and harmony into disagreement, disharmony, even antagonism. You realize that what was good is now being corrupted, and … yep, it’s time to pray. To redirect hearts and minds and voices to the Spirit’s leading and God’s truth. 

You may sense urgency, an inner tension, or intensely redirected attention. You can do nothing else until you act as the Spirit prompts. You can’t let it go unless you pray and maybe even speak. Compelled is a good word—compelled to pray, to speak, to reach out a hand to someone and take them before the Father’s throne. You may not know what’s going on with them; you can even be halfway across the world. 

It doesn’t have to be big, earth-shattering moments. It can be small things, daily things—in fact, it’s more likely to be in the nuts and bolts of life with the saints around you. Even when you don’t know what to pray in that moment, the Spirit gives you what you need and goes beyond your words (Romans 8:26-27). And don’t ignore it or put it off—pray over whatever or whoever it is, even if it’s silent prayer in your heart or spirit. You don’t know what battle is going on in the unseen realms and who is in the line of fire. 

The nudge of the Spirit helps you hear or see beyond the surface to a need, solution, or healing that only He can provide. And draws you to pray for the saints. 

So, stay alert! Listen! Pay attention to the Spirit of God. Ask Him to help you tune your spiritual ears to hear Him better. Then pray—top to bottom, inside out, with persistence—bringing the Spirit’s power and God’s good and glory into the spiritual battles of His beloved people.  

What are the ways or times the Spirit has alerted you to pray for His people?