⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him^(A) must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins^(A) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.^(B) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.^(C)

³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door^(A) for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery^(B) of Christ, for which I am in chains.^(C)

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit^(A) on all occasions^(B) with all kinds of prayers and requests.^(C) With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying^(D) for all the Lord’s people.

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.^(A)

¹⁷ pray continually,^{(A) 18} give thanks in all circumstances;^(B) for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

⁸ The Lord’s message^(A) rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.^(B) Therefore we do not need to say anything about it,