Monday's Blessing
1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Pray without ceasing."
How does one pray continually? With the daily demands on our busy lives, we are fortunate to pray a few minutes in the morning and evening before blissfully drifting off to an exhausted sleep. I believe God left us with this verse to remind us we are always in training. We are learning to see the world as God would figuring out how we can fill his needs. In essence we are taking off those blinders seeing what God really wants us to notice. Through this we express our self throughout the day with silent prayers of vital communication with the LORD.
Once we realize we need to maintain a healthy relationship with God, we understand it requires communication. After all, if we fall short of calling a friend for months we can assume that our friend will no longer be as close as he once was. To prevent feeling distance we always need to be "on line" with God. So when the Spirit moves us to pray, we can instantly be in connection. And we need to be doing this throughout the day just as we would text our best friend with the sad and happy moments of each day. The heart attitude of praying without ceasing means an ever-open heart to the Lord’s leading.
If we are praying without ceasing -- even while driving, changing the baby, washing dishes, or running a lawn mower -- we can be open to the leading of the Spirit when He urges us to pray for something or someone. At that time, we can agree with God and make a mental note to add that concern to our later prayer time. Most importantly,
we can begin to open up a 24/7 connection with God.
Praying without ceasing doesn’t take the place of time alone in prayer with God. However, it is a joyful experience to unite with the LORD who lays burdens on our hearts. We can't always stop and kneel, but our heart attitude can still be "praying without ceasing."
1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Pray without ceasing."
How does one pray continually? With the daily demands on our busy lives, we are fortunate to pray a few minutes in the morning and evening before blissfully drifting off to an exhausted sleep. I believe God left us with this verse to remind us we are always in training. We are learning to see the world as God would figuring out how we can fill his needs. In essence we are taking off those blinders seeing what God really wants us to notice. Through this we express our self throughout the day with silent prayers of vital communication with the LORD.
Once we realize we need to maintain a healthy relationship with God, we understand it requires communication. After all, if we fall short of calling a friend for months we can assume that our friend will no longer be as close as he once was. To prevent feeling distance we always need to be "on line" with God. So when the Spirit moves us to pray, we can instantly be in connection. And we need to be doing this throughout the day just as we would text our best friend with the sad and happy moments of each day. The heart attitude of praying without ceasing means an ever-open heart to the Lord’s leading.
If we are praying without ceasing -- even while driving, changing the baby, washing dishes, or running a lawn mower -- we can be open to the leading of the Spirit when He urges us to pray for something or someone. At that time, we can agree with God and make a mental note to add that concern to our later prayer time. Most importantly,
we can begin to open up a 24/7 connection with God.
Praying without ceasing doesn’t take the place of time alone in prayer with God. However, it is a joyful experience to unite with the LORD who lays burdens on our hearts. We can't always stop and kneel, but our heart attitude can still be "praying without ceasing."
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