在十七节，保罗不仅说到一样的祷告，乃是说到各样的祷告和祈求。祷告是一般的，祈求是专一的，二者都是为着我们过正确、得胜的教会生活。我们应当有普通的祷告；在有需要时，也要用特别的方式，或许禁食、禁睡，为着某一种光景向主祈求。
时时祷告
有人认为“时时”这辞的意思只是指每次我们祷告的时候。另有人认为这辞的意思是随时。时时（随时）祷告，与保罗在帖前五章十七节所说不住的祷告相符。
在灵里
十八节特别说到，我们要在灵里祷告。这是指我们重生、有神的灵内住的灵。这灵可视为调和的灵，就是我们的灵与神的灵调和的灵。每当我们在我们的灵里，我们也就在圣灵里，因为我们的灵与主是一（林前六17）。因此，保罗要我们在灵里祷告的吩咐，含示我们也必须在神的灵里祷告，因为这二灵在我们里面乃是调和的。
在祷告中，我们所该用的主要机关，就是我们的灵。我们的心思若是过分活动，我们的情感若不受控制，我们就会发觉很难祷告。当我们祷告时，我们的心思应当安息，我们的情感应当受规律，不太热也不太冷。按照我的经历，当我的心思被其他事物霸占时，祷告就容易受打岔。照样，当我的情感没有适当的规律，我就发觉很难在祷告中从我的灵里说出话来。因此，要在灵里祷告，我们的心思就需要被调整，我们的情感就需要受平衡。这需要许多内里的操练。
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Prayer as the Application of the Items of God’s Armor (2) — Eph. 6:18
In verse 18 Paul speaks not just of one kind of prayer, but of all prayer and petition. Prayer is general, whereas petition is particular. We should pray both in an ordinary way and, when necessary, in an extraordinary way, perhaps giving up sleep or food in order to petition the Lord concerning a certain situation.
Praying at Every Time
In verse 18 Paul speaks of “praying at every time.” Some think the phrase “at every time” means simply every time we pray. To others it means all the time. To pray all the time corresponds to Paul’s word in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing.
In Spirit
In verse 18 Paul says specifically that we are to pray in spirit. This refers to our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God. It may be considered the mingled spirit – our spirit mingled with God’s Spirit. Whenever we are in our spirit, we are also in the Holy Spirit, for our spirit is one with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). Therefore, Paul’s charge to pray in spirit implies that we must also pray in the Spirit of God, for these two spirits are mingled in us.
In prayer, the main faculty we should use is our spirit. If our mind is overactive or if our emotion is not under control, we shall find it difficult to pray. When we pray, our mind should be at rest, and our emotion should be regulated, neither too hot nor too cold. According to my experience, I easily become distracted in prayer when my mind is preoccupied with other things. Likewise, when my emotion is not properly regulated, I find it difficult to utter something from my spirit in prayer. Hence, in order to pray in spirit, we need to be adjusted in our mind and balanced in our emotion. This requires a great deal of inward exercise.