Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18It encapsulates three major areas in which God has dealt with me. I don't count myself as unique in some way... He calls all His children to rejoice, pray and give thanks. But for some reason this passage is especially dear to me.
The matter of prayer... oh I have wrestled with God over this one. Why does prayer matter? Why would God bother to listen to me? Can a puny human really impact the sovereign Lord?
And pray without ceasing? Is it even possible?
I am still in conversation with God about all that. I expect I will be for my whole life. I am confident at this stage of my journey that praying without ceasing is possible, but actually doing it still eludes me.
Over the years I have tried or learned about many ways of praying, many ways to keep praying. Laying down little habits is a helpful first step on the road to praying without ceasing.
I have written about some of them - and know I am barely scratching the surface - over at Do Not Depart in a post entitled Cultivating the Habit of Prayer. There you'll find all sorts of practical ideas for developing habits that keep you in conversation with God. I hope you'll go read it.
With a little living water from the Word and some Sonshine, the soil of our hearts will be ready to sprout prayers. ;-) Sorry couldn't resist.
What about you? Do you have a habit of prayer? What routines have you found help you to remember to pray?
Or is it a way of thinking? I think that there is a major piece in the pray-without-ceasing puzzle.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
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