Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 6:17-20 (day three)
“…and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth…”
Paul makes a request here that arises from a vulnerable self-awareness. Though Paul produced voluminous amounts of written material, though he trafficked in words as a vocation – preaching, debating, exhorting – he recognized the possibility that his use of words could escalate a situation. This is the man who had words with Barnabas resulting in at least a temporary break in their relationship. This is the man who called on a faction of the church at Jerusalem to castrate themselves. In his zeal for the work of the church, Paul could reach for words in ways that could threaten to upstage that good work. Paul asks the congregation to pray that his use of words honor the work God has called him to do.
