Watchmen of the Wall

Pray Without Ceasing

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

"Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Is the habit of praying continually something you can't imagine becoming a reality in your life? Don't freak out on me here. Once we grasp some of the meaning of the phrase, we'll see that the pursuit of it is not out of our reach. We've been so indoctrinated by certain definitions of prayer that all the words "praying unceasingly" mean to us is that the preacher lost his mind and called on Brother Hubert to give the benediction at the end of the service. Halfway through the endless droning, even God wanted to go to the cafeteria.

By "praying unceasingly" Paul really didn't have in mind our repetitive, wearying formulas. He was talking about a perpetual line of open communication with God throughout the entire day. We're not given to this kind of mentality naturally, so I'm convinced that we have to learn how to pray unceasingly. Mind you, this one will be an ongoing pursuit and one we aren't likely to master, but isn't prayer just that? A pursuit?

I have picked up on the terminology of Brother Lawrence, who called praying unceasingly practicing God's presence . In fact, practicing God's presence has been my number one goal for the last year. It simply means to develop a constant awareness of God's presence all the time. When we live with such awareness, we as naturally pick up a conversation with God at any given moment in a day as we would with someone sitting a few feet from us.

Maybe this example will help: a friend lost her husband of many years to death. She says she still catches herself talking to him. The difference is, when we talk to God He is always there. It's called omnipresence.

A pray-without-ceasing relationship means seeing everything against the backdrop of His presence. In other words, a rain shower reminds us of Him. A difficulty at work makes us turn our thoughts to Him. The first bite of pecan pie makes us thank the God who gave us the gift of taste. A near-empty gas tank keeps us hanging tight with God as we coast on fumes to the station. Everything and anything. Even listening to a powerful worship CD while you're putting dishes in the dishwasher is prayer without ceasing. Constant communication. Sometimes saying a lot, sometimes saying a little, but living every moment of life as if He is right there. After all, isn't He?

Lord, thank you for your presence in my life. Teach me to practice your presence. Reframe my mind to focus on you no matter what my day brings. You are worthy to be praised in every moment. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Adapted from When Godly People Do Ungodly Things, by Beth Moore