Pray Without Ceasing

How do you do that?  It seems impossible, but it is something that Paul tells us to do.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

This has been something that I have wrestled with for many years attempting to get my head around.  How do you maintain a constant state of prayer?  Actually, it is impossible trying to do it out of our own efforts; this is something that God Himself must do through us.  It is a matter of attitude which has been transformed by Him to cause us to focus in on Him who is our help.

As a child of God it is natural to lose sight of this awareness, God is always around us and encouraging us to respond to Him.  In fact, He is actually the one who puts the desire within us that we would respond to Him.  Paul talks about this in Romans 7

Romans 7:18-20 (NIV)

¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Not recognizing that God is our everything is an easy thing to lose sight of.  He fills us with an affirming love which reminds us that we are His family.  He constantly tells us that we are His child; as such we are forever connected to Him; He is our inheritance. We were bought with a price which we could never pay.  That is the beauty of relationship in Christ, we only need to come like little children.

So is “Praying without Ceasing” praying rote prayers or just filling up the air with petitions?  Not necessarily... in 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul was attempting to turn our hearts from the natural world to the spiritual word by saying: “…Rejoice always”.  Paul was one who had many hardships, he was beaten, taken captive, put in prison, even bit by snakes.  Amongst all of these hardships, he remained joyful because he recognized that He was loved as a Child of God and had an inheritance with the Saints of God in Christ.  He tells us to do the same—Always Rejoice!

He also tells us to “…give thanks in everything”.  That is a tall order!

Psalm 91:9-12 (NIV)

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,

    no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Paul recognized that we are made secure by our confession or acknowledgement of who God is in our lives. Once we do this we can then set our minds on Him or think of Him. We are recognizing that God has deposited Himself within us which gives us the ability to trust Him through every circumstance.

Paul even goes on to say that “…this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
 

If you were ever wondering what God’s will for your life is?  Then this should settle the matter.

Paul said:

·         Rejoice always

·         Pray without ceasing

·         Give thanks in everything

Paul didn’t have a whole lot to be thankful for in this natural world with all the difficulties he endured, but he knew who he was in Christ and that anything he was experiencing was not to be compared to what would be revealed later.

Romans 8:16-21 (DLNT)

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears-witness-with our spirit that we are children of God!

This Means We Are Joint-Heirs With Christ, Sharing His Suffering And Glory

¹⁷ And if we are children, we are heirs also. We are heirs of God, and fellow-heirs of Christ, since we are suffering-with Him in order that we may also be glorified-with Him. ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to the glory destined to be revealed to us.

¹⁹ For the eager-expectation of the creation is awaiting the revelation of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility— not willingly, but because of the One having subjected it— in hope  ²¹ that the creation itself also will be set-free from the slavery of  decay into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

If you feel inadequate for what God may have for you to do then you are in good company. Don't feel discouraged—we are all inadequate!  It is in the place of inadequacy where He becomes our help. We need to depend upon Him.

Praying without ceasing is having the awareness that Christ is our all (our sufficiency) and that He will never leave us or forsake us, no matter what befalls us.

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

¹⁰ The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

The righteous run to it and are safe.

This is the type of life we are to lead being fully natural, but also fully spiritual...

naturally supernatural.

May you grow in your awareness of Christ in you as you face life and it’s many challenges. There are opportunities we are given for growth and change if we take the time to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything.  

It is truly what He wants us to do.

God is good all the time—all the time God is good!

Stephen Barnett

I Think of You
(Andy Park)

All the day I remember You
And I think of You in the night
Because You are my help
Because You are my strong tower,

     I think of You.

All the day I hold on to You
And You lift me up in Your hand
Because You are my help
Because You are my strong tower,

          Chorus:
     I sing in the shadow of Your wings
     I sing in the shadow of Your wings
     I sing in the shadow of Your wings
    

     And I think of You.

Copyright © 1990 Mercy Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured
Featured vocalist:  Daphne Rademaker
The lyrics above are copyrighted by the respective artists and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit