[Power of the Word] What to Be Watchful For
Daniel Brady
“…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all prayer and supplication for all the saints--“
--Ephesians 6:18
The quotation of the Bible verse at the top of each “Power of the Word” entry comes from the New King James Version (NKJV). In general, I like the NKJV. However, I do not like how it words the second half of Ephesians 6:18, beginning with “being watchful to this end…”
The reason I don’t like it is because that phrase generally comes before the statement of some intended purpose. Hence, as I read this verse and the ones following it, I was looking for the intended purpose for which we are to be watchful. In particular, I was looking for the word, “that.” I was looking for Paul to say we are to be watchful “to this end…that [some intended purpose may be accomplished].”
As I read the passage, however, I did not find any the “end” to which we are to be watchful. So I looked in a few commentaries, seeking the answer. In them, I found no help. The commentators I read wrote about praying in the Spirit, and then they jumped to the topic of praying for all the saints with all prayer and supplication.
Then I was really frustrated. I thought, “Come on people, there is an important phrase right in the middle of this verse, and you are skipping over it. If God, through Paul, tells us to be watchful, and if there is a purpose for which we must be so, one would think that the purpose may be rather important. And I don’t think God would tell us to be watchful ‘to this end’ without telling us what that end is. To what end are we to be watchful?”
Finally, after looking at a couple different translations, I came across the English Standard Version (ESV). In the ESV, this verse is rendered, “…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.”
Ah, now that helps! You see, there is a big difference (at least, in my mind) between “to this end” and “to that end.” According to my knowledge of English grammar, “to this end” usually precedes the statement of an intended purpose. “To that end” follows the statement of the purpose. Therefore, the end to which we are to be watchful is that we may indeed pray in the Spirit at all times.
Now, is this purpose for which we are to be watchful important, as I suggested earlier? Indeed it is. To illustrate its significance, let me point out that, while Paul has finished describing the armor of God, with which the Christian is to clothe himself, he has not ended his discourse on spiritual warfare. Remember, verse 18 is a continuation of the sentence begun in verse 17, in which Paul tells us to put on the helmet of salvation and to take up the sword of the Spirit. Hence, praying in the Spirit, as well as being watchful to the end that we may do so, is an integral part of spiritual warfare.
This then raises the question of what we are to be watchful for. The obvious answer is that we are to keep a watch out for anything that would keep us from continually praying in the Spirit. Our enemy, the devil, is crafty and cunning, and he will do anything he can to keep us from doing the will of God. In relation to praying in the Spirit, there are a number of tactics he may use. We will look at some of these tactics next time.
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