May 3
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
May 1 we discussed the need to learn and practice crying out to God. This is urgent, focused prayer, emergency prayers that we offer up to God in times of great stress and testing. Yesterday, we discussed the practice of praying daily and diligently for deliverance from temptation. Today we will discuss the practice of being continually in prayer or praying “without ceasing.”
I may be wrong about this since I don’t often practice this like I imagine it should be done, day in and day out, but I believe this type of prayer is like a continual communion with God, an ongoing fellowship, and ongoing communication. It is more than just talking to God, though, it is ongoing prayer, ongoing asking God for things.
(I should mention here that my view of prayer is probably more narrow than many Christians. I learned as a young Christian the ACTS model of prayer, that prayer is Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. “Adoration” I was taught comes from the part of the Lord’s prayer that says, “hallowed be Thy Name.” Confession they say comes from the part of the Lord’s prayer that says, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And thanksgiving comes from the many exhortations, such as in Philippians 4, to give thanks when we pray. After studying prayer on my own, however, I have come to believe that adoration and thanksgiving and confession, as important as each is, are not prayer. Prayer is petitioning God. Prayer is asking God for worthy, God-honoring things for ourselves and others. “Hallowed by Thy Name” for instance is not a statement of adoration but is an imperative, urgent petition for God to make His name holy or hallowed or revered on earth and among men. A proper translation would make it a demand, even a command, like saying to God, “Make Your Name revered, now!” So when I speak of prayer I am thinking petitions, asking God for things, requesting some thing or some result.)
In my mind, prayer without ceasing is asking God for things without ceasing. As I am talking to someone, for instance, I could and should be asking God to give me something encouraging to say to the person or wisdom to know how to respond in a God-honoring way. I could be asking God to help me do my work speedily and without errors. I could be thinking about my wife or children and offer up a prayer for them. Instead of fretting about things, I could be asking God to work them out. Instead of being angry or annoyed in my heart about some situation or interaction with another person, I could be asking God to bless that person and fill me with a love for them.
Think about this question, “What do you do, think, say, or feel at any time during the day or night that you wouldn’t appreciate some help from God to do, think, say, or feel in a way that most glorifies Him?” Or this question, “Can you maximize and redeem your time for eternity today without God’s help, or can you do everything you need to do today without any help from God?” Or how about, “Can you know for certain what God’s will is for you for any moment of the day without asking Him?” Hopefully, these questions, and many others you could ask yourself, highlight the need for God’s continual guidance and help. He wants to help us in everything we do, but He won’t force Himself on us. The sad thing is that we in ignorance or pride often live our lives in our own flesh and our own efforts, choosing the “hard and difficult” button or our own will instead of the “smooth and easy” button of His will.
I am learning to pray without ceasing during the day, and not only does the day go much more smoothly, but I seem further insulated from temptation’s grip, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to struggle on my own and keep striving in my own strength. We have all been there, and it is a hard, hard road with little to no good result in the end. Let’s learn to walk in the Spirit, and pray to the Lord “without ceasing.”