PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING  

We hear this verse mentioned from the pulpit and we read it is our devotions, but it is a practice that is nearly impossible to perform, given our lifestyles and our level of awareness of what is really going on in our spiritual walk.

My main snag has been an intangible chart of how to pray, when to pray, where to pray, what position to pray in, and an unbidden point system on the importance of different types of prayer. Oh, I didn’t ever sit down and write such a thing up, but it most definitely took up residence over the years.

It just didn’t seem as powerful to whisper a prayer for someone in deep trouble as it did when I was on my knees. And I had a hard time viewing a short prayer in the car as the same as taking time to go to my room, close the door and fall on my knees. To top it all off, since I couldn’t keep up with praying without ceasing, though I was trying, I quit trying. Many times during the day, a prayer is lifted to the Lord for this request or that, but praying without ceasing it is not.

This admonition, to me, is one of the highest goals for a Christian who claims to love the Lord beyond the casual Christian level. How incompatible it is with the earthy involvements! It is so incompatible with some of the things I do, that I have to cut them out completely. The rest, I can’t blame my lack of attaining such a prayer life upon them.

We had a friend, an elderly man, who carried a weathered book with him everywhere he went, filled with hundreds of prayer requests. As the day passed, his lips were moving in petition to the God he knew so well. He was congenial and conversed well, but talking with God was what was important to him.

Have we ever made a concerted effort to work towards a lifestyle of “praying without ceasing?” What thought have we given to plan a day of prayer in comparison to planning our day of running around doing the daily routine? Given the fact that the spiritual success of our comrades depends upon our prayers, and the fact that God says He’ll do great and mighty things, and the fact that He says we can move mountains, some serious pondering on how to bring this prayer practice into our lives is in order.

I’m aware that this admonition does not mean to be mouthing words to God at all times all day. How would we give that report in front of class or speak with the boss about his trip overseas? What is it then? It is taking time to plan to be a without-ceasing pray-er. It is coming to a spot where prayer is discovered to be essential to taking a step, for you and for your people in need.

There are many reasons why I hate Hollywood, and this is one of them. That whole system is clearly an enemy of the person who desires to learn to pray without ceasing. But, more subtle are those things that seem necessary, like preparing for a dinner party, or running to a soccer game, or wallpapering the bedroom. What you do all day, regardless of what it is, must be done before a backdrop of communing with the great Almighty God who searches for people whose hearts are fully committed to Him.

And one more thing…when things get really stormy, it gets easier to pray without ceasing!