Pray Without Ceasing

When the Apostle Paul exhorts his Christian friends to pray without ceasing, we all know he’s not telling them to go into their prayer closets and never come out.

I mean, how would they be able to accomplish all the other things he’s asking (like working hard at their jobs) if they’re walking around with their heads bowed?

God knows that whether it’s a mom caring for little ones or a dad working long, crazy hours, quiet time is a rare and hard sought after luxury. 

So no need to hear a command like—Never stop praying—and feel intimidated or guilty.

The Lord isn’t asking us to become like monks and retreat from the normal routine of practical day-to-day life for the sake of solitary prayer.

Don’t forget that the Lord grew up in a large, bustling household full of children (Jesus had at least six half-siblings according to Mark 6:3) and He also knows first-hand what it’s like to work a secular job that took up much of His day and demanded much from His body.

So, He gets it.

And that’s probably why He models for us making time for prayer early in the day when distractions are at their minimum:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

So I think the command to never stop praying means we keep the conversation going—we don’t stop communing with Him just because we said, “in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Our daily disciplined times to read God’s word, reflect, and pray are indispensable. 

But what Paul is saying by “pray without ceasing” is that prayer doesn’t end when we get up from our knees. He’s exhorting Believers to stay on our knees (in our hearts) all through the day.

It about being prayerful, punctuating the day with sporadic interactions, listening for, and speaking to God.

With every conflict—“Please help.”

With every blessing—“Thank you.”

With every temptation—“Strengthen me.”

With every bad attitude—“Forgive me.”

With every twinge of grief—“Lord, I need you.”

Have you ever gotten into a discussion with someone and find yourself (suddenly) in desperate need for just the right words?  Happens a lot, doesn’t it?

It’s awesome that we can be engaged in that difficult conversation, and at the same time be sending up cries for divine intervention.

In this way, the conversation with Him never really ends—the lines of communication remain open. 

I was standing in line for a coffee this morning.

The barista had sad, empty eyes and was obviously not having an easy time of things.

“God, please draw him to You,” I prayed as I stepped up to place my order.

Each day we interact with many different people. What an awesome opportunity to impact someone’s life by simply offering up a quick prayer on their behalf; it could change the trajectory of their lives forever.

So while it’s true we can’t pray every moment, we can be prayerful in all our moments.

And as we pray without ceasing, our lives will be ceaselessly effective and always productive, and our hearts continually filled with God’s peace.