Ask yourself, do you find it hard to kneel down regularly and pray to God? This has been a common problem for some Christians for thousands of years. If we neglect to pray we also resist the Holy Spirit and we are ill prepared to go through experiences such as men like Abraham, Job, Daniel and other great men and women in the Bible went through.
“Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Wellspring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor….” –Messages to Young People, p. 249
We need to learn to live our life in prayer. Another way of saying this is, as the Apostle Paul wrote, to “pray without ceasing.”1 Thessalonians 5:17. Many of us realize that this counsel is a correct one. Yet, how many do it? How many of us can honestly say that we “pray without ceasing”? Do we feel discouraged if and when we are reminded of this and we are aware that we are not regularly practicing it?
“Pray without ceasing.” Three short words; yet, charged with much meaning. What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Does it mean to be on your knees all day?
If prayer is the “breath of the soul” then it should be important to us. If “praying without ceasing” is to be a key ingredient in the mixture of our life, then it is important to understand what this really means.
How does this idea of ceaseless prayer have a practical application in our lives?
I, personally, came to the conclusion that ceaseless prayer is more about how I live rather than prayer being just an act that I perform. I had to start to learn to live my life in prayer, to live in prayer.
I want to pose a question to you: Do we pray to God when we feel we need something, or do we pray to God when we feel we need Him? There is a distinct difference.
If we pray to God when we need something, the more God provides for us then the less we will pray to Him. If you think about it, this is borne out in many examples. The poorer the country the easier it is to do missionary work, the more receptive the population, and the more spiritual the people seem.
On the other hand, in the wealthier society it can be noted that the people with the most blessings from God are often less spiritual or receptive to God. Some people come to a rich country from a poor one and as they gradually gain a better standard of living, the spirituality they often arrived with becomes less and less present over time.
This does not just refer to physical things, but this could be emotional and spiritual needs as well.
But, if we pray to God when we need Him, then the more we come to need Him the more we will pray. If we are well off and do not feel we need Him, we will pray less.
All need to learn to pray without ceasing, whether rich or poor, old or young. The reality is that we need to learn to live in prayer.
The apostle Paul uses this expression often throughout his writings, this idea of ceaseless prayer.
“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15–23
Paul is speaking about how to live our life and that this concept of ceaseless prayer is an instrumental part of our sanctification, a change in our nature from earthly, to the Holy or divine. It is a lifestyle change.
If you look at the Greek word for “ceasing” used here by Paul, Adeileptos, it means without omission or interruption. Does this sound like your life in prayer? If we are to apply this correctly then we need to learn to live this way so that prayer encompasses us just as the oxygen we breathe or the water we drink. Without each we will die. Without prayer we will not live.
Are you looking for something to pray for? Do you not have anything to pray for? How can we pray always? Maybe you get bored, tired or lose concentration. What can you do about this?
The apostle Paul used this expression in another place. “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.” Romans 1:8–10
Paul wrote that without ceasing he prayed for the believers at Rome. Without omission or interruption, his thoughts and connection to God were of the believers in Rome.
Further on in this chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans he reveals the substance of his thoughts and prayers for them. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17
That faith or belief in God is an experience that is born of a need for God, which is evidenced by a living connection with Him. It is not something we do but how we are to live. Live in prayer!
If you want to be able to go through experiences like many of the faithful people in the Bible then you need to live in prayer.
“Every worker who follows the example of Christ will be prepared to receive and use the power that God has promised to His church for the ripening of earth’s harvest. Morning by morning, as the heralds of the gospel kneel before the Lord and renew their vows of consecration to Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day’s duties, they have the assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be ‘laborers together with God.’” –The Acts of The Apostles, p. 56
Do you have this assurance? Do you live each day, all day with the “unseen agency of the Holy Spirit”? This is a promise that God gives to you; but, do you believe it?
Do you feel an increasing need of God? When a person has a real need, they will do almost anything to fulfill that need. If a person is thirsty the first instinct that they have is to look for clean water to drink. If your access to oxygen is restricted how long will it take before you are in a panic?
When the need is great, we will do almost anything to fulfill it. The question is, how much do you need God? I am not talking about how much you are told, or you have read that your need is, but how much do you estimate your need?
It is actually very simple to gauge your need. Just think about the things you do every day and ask yourself—do you live in prayer?
To live in prayer is the only way we will be able to resist temptation every day, and one day be found victorious and ready to meet Jesus.
May we all learn to live daily in prayer. In this time in which we live, as we near the close of this earth’s history, it is much more important and urgent that we keep our connection with heaven strong. The devil wants to destroy us, but God has promised to protect those who are, moment by moment, holding on to His mighty hand for help. Amen.
John Formosa