God's Will for Us to Pray Continually

To pray without ceasing is to pray often and regularly without giving up. Every time that we pray to the Lord, we are admitting our need for Him.

God's Will for Us to Pray Continually

This week's devotions are written by my friend Jessica Hermann, former director of our college ministry at Great Hills Baptist Church.

- Pastor Danny

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I never realized how much I talk in extremes until I moved to Germany. When I eat a good meal, it is "the best". When I hear a good sermon, it is "amazing". When I have a bad day, it is "awful". This kind of easily excited speech is a good way to stick out as an American over here, as it is not very common here. At this point, my husband thinks it is funny, but it used to drive him crazy! I just find certain German norms to be boring and underwhelming. In general, Germans speak in much more tempered language. If you have a really wonderful day, it was "ok". If you are super proud of someone, they did "fine". Perhaps there is a better middle ground to find between our two traditions. Maybe we shouldn't be afraid to be really excited about some things, but we also shouldn't need to use superlatives for everything.

In these verses that we are examining again today, I am struck by the extreme "all in" language that is used. While I admittedly often speak in extremes unnecessarily, the Lord is always purposeful in the words used in His Holy Scriptures. Yesterday, we discussed God's command for us to "rejoice always". Yes, always. Today, we will look deeper into the next verse (also very short) which commands us to "pray without ceasing".

Without ceasing?! That seems like... a lot, doesn't it? How does this actually work? When I was a baby Christian, I used to be really concerned that I wasn't obeying this command. I wouldn't say "amen" at the end of my prayers, because I thought that was how you ended a prayer, which would mean that I stopped praying and therefore wasn't praying "without ceasing". So I'd leave the prayer open ended without saying amen. While this seems silly to me now, what then does it look like to "pray without ceasing"?

I have heard some explain this to be an invitation to stay in a "constant state of prayer". While I think the idea here is nice, I actually find it to be rather unhelpful. I've never met someone actually able to do this "constantly". Surely, we can and should be praying throughout the day, talking to the Lord about various things, asking for His help, and worshiping Him. While being in a constant state of prayer sounds like really good Christian-ese language, I'm not sure how achievable it actually is. I don't want you to be discouraged that you sometimes think of things other than prayer! This is absolutely normal. Surely the verse isn't instructing us to do nothing else ever except pray. When then could we share the Gospel? When could we disciple another believer? When could we do our jobs?

To pray without ceasing is to pray often and regularly without giving up. It is like saying, "I had a goal of finishing my college degree and I did not cease until I completed it." That doesn't mean that all you did every second of every day was work on completing your degree. Rather, it means that you stayed diligent and kept the course to work toward this goal. Similarly, praying without ceasing means that you pray regularly and often about whatever you want to bring to the Lord, whenever. You never change your mind that prayer is important and vital, and you don't make a habit of not praying. We don't give up on praying when adversity comes, and we don't let life distract us from staying reliant on the Lord in prayer.

Why is it good for us to pray without ceasing? Every time that we pray to the Lord, we are admitting our need for Him. Why would we pray if we didn't need Him? Therefore, when we pray regularly and often, we are declaring our ever-present dependence on God. This is so good for us to recognize our dependence, lest we start to rely on our own abilities and power rather than on the Lord. Furthermore, praying without ceasing allows us to constantly foster a deeper relationship with the Lord. Prayer is an invitation to commune with the living God. May we take the Lord up on that incredible privilege.

So, what do we learn is God's will for our lives today? Pray, pray more, and pray often. Pray without growing discouraged and giving up. It is part of God's good, pleasing, and perfect will for you and for me.