1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray Without Ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) Pray without
ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT) Never stop
praying,
INTRODUCTION
Spending time with God is not relegated to a
fraction of your waking hours. Brother Lawrence
suggests a continuous, open-ended conversation with
God throughout your day. Sounds impossible,
right? Not really, it's all about shifting your
thought process and talking with him about the
common task of life. In other words, turning
everyday moments into prayer. How would your day be
different if every waking moment was lived with an
awareness of God's active involvement in your thoughts
and actions? [The Practice of the Presence of
God: 40 Day Devotional by Brother Lawrence/Alan
Vermilye]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Prayer is an essential part of a healthy
Christian life. Just as omitting an essential vitamin
from our diet will make us physically weak, so a
lack of prayer will make us spiritually anemic.
The Bible says, "Pray without ceasing." It isn't
enough to get out of bed in the morning, quickly
bow our heads, and repeat a few sentences.
Instead, we need to set aside specific times to be
alone with God, speaking to Him in prayer and
listening to Him speak through His Word. If you set
aside special times for prayer, your unconscious
mind will be saturated with prayer all day long.
For the overworked mother or other busy
person this may seem impossible (although even a
few minutes alone with God can reap rich
rewards). But even when we are busy, we can "pray
without ceasing" in our hearts and minds. We can
pray anywhere, anytime - and God will hear us.
Today let prayer saturate your life "without
ceasing."
Prayer is not an isolated activity; it is
ongoing throughout the day. When we seek to hear
from God, we will find that He is always
available and ever eager to speak to His children. We
pray with our words and find answers in His Word.
[Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
Jesus sits at the right hand of the
Father in Heaven interceding in prayer for us
(Hebrews 7:25). Through His prayers He empowers us to
live for Him, all day, every day.
How quickly and carelessly, by contrast,
we pray. Snatches of verses are hastily spoken
in the morning, and then we say good-bye to God
for the rest of the day until we rush through a
few closing petitions at night. How little
perseverance, persistence, praise, and pleading we show.
Some time ago I read about a man in
Washington, DC, who had spent seventeen years securing
favorable action on a claim of eighty-one thousand
dollars against the government. Yet many people
today will not pray seventeen minutes for the
welfare of their immortal souls or for the salvation
of other people.
"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians
5:17) should be the motto of every follower of
Jesus Christ. Never stop, no matter how hopeless
it may seem. Ask the Lord to help you pray that
all you ask may be for the glory of the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the power of prayer.
What does it look like to pray without
ceasing? [Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham]
ILLUSTRATION
I found out that being able to pray on
demand is an acquired skill. Growing up in church,
we recited lovely prayers we had memorized but
we never prayed using our own words. So when I
found myself in a charismatic church's Bible
study, holding hands with other believers in a
circle and being asked to pray out loud, I
marveled. Everyone seemed to be so eloquent with their
prayers, as if they had rehearsed. Anxiety arose in
my chest as my turn approached. I mumbled an
okay prayer, I but didn't feel confident about
it. I really wanted to know how these people
prayed so powerfully.
As I got to know the believers at the
Bible study, I found out they spent precious time
in the Word of God, getting to know Jesus.
Having developed intimate knowledge of Him and His
character, they understood their relationship with
Jesus enough to pray confidently out loud in front
of others. I purposed in my heart to be able to
pray like that and began studying the Word. If a
verse "spoke" to me, I remembered it. Soon, I had
a small arsenal of Scripture passages that I
felt comfortable praying back to Jesus whenever
needed. This came in handy recently when my husband
had a minor medical procedure. We'd prayed
before we left home, but right before he went
under, he asked the nurses if some of them would
pray, just to see how they'd respond. They were
blindsided - no one in the room knew how! Thank Jesus,
he was already covered in prayer by me. Pamela
Toussaint Howard
Faith Step: Pick a Scripture verse you'd
like to memorize and commit to do so today.
[Mornings With Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
CLOSING THOUGHT
While engaged in our daily work, we should
lift the soul to heaven in prayer. These silent
petitions rise like incense before the throne of
grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian
whose heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be
overcome. No evil arts can destroy his peace. All the
promises of God's word, all the power of divine
grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to
secure his deliverance. It was thus that Enoch
walked with God. And God was with him, a present
help in every time of need 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
Well-spring 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. It is only at the altar
of God that we can kindle our tapers with
divine fire. {GW 254}
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Delightful Jesus,
Help me to live in joyful dependence on
You! I used to view dependence as a weakness, so
I would strive to be as self-sufficient as
possible. But I know this is not Your way for me. You
designed me to need You continually - and even to
rejoice in my neediness. I want to live in harmony
with Your intentions for me, trusting that Your
way is best.
The Bible exhorts me to be joyful always
and pray continually. There is always Joy to be
found in Your Presence! You have promised You will
not leave me or forsake me, so I can speak to
You at all times - knowing that You hear and You
care.
Praying continually is a way of
demonstrating my deliberate dependence on You. Another
powerful way of relying on You is studying Your Word,
asking You to use it to transform me according to
Your will. These delightful disciplines keep me
close to You - living in joyous reliance on You.
As I delight myself in You more and more, You
are glorified and I am blessed.
In Your wonderful Name, Amen (1
Thessalonians 5:16-17; Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV; Psalm
119:11-12; Psalm 37:4) [Jesus Listens by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray Without Ceasing.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220218-0854.html
Luke 18:1 - Always Pray and Never Give Up.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210814-1032.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
