The Purpose of Prayer

As we move past the allegorical portion of the Armor of God that Paul describes in Ephesians chapter 6, it is important to note that verse 18 does not begin a new thought. Of all of the analogies that Paul has used, we see him describing the works of God in the life of a Christian. Truth as it applies to revelation, righteousness as it applies to imputation and mortification of sin, and readiness as it applies to redemption and reconciliation all point to the work of God. So do faith, which depends on God, and the Spirit which is literally God's leading (revelation). In verse 18, Paul doesn't use analogy because the act of prayer is not God's work but requires man's limited agency. Perhaps, the most important element to the whole armor of God is prayer.