Pray Without Ceasing
by Jim Elzerman

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Apostle Paul makes an astonishing admonition directed toward believers — we are to "pray without ceasing." What did Paul mean by that? A literal translation of the verse is to pray incessantly. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "incessantly" means "continuing without interruption." Did Paul really mean that we should give up all other activity and only give ourselves to prayer? That we should pray 24/7? If we did, we wouldn't last very long. We need sleep. Most of us need to work to earn a living. Yet there it is — an admonition to pray without ceasing. If not that we should do nothing but pray, then consider some ways that our prayer should be incessant.

Prayer is volitional, not emotional — an act of the will, not based on how we feel. To pray without ceasing is to pray whether we feel like it or not. The Apostle Paul probably didn't feel like praying when he was shipwrecked three times, or when he was beaten with a rod on three separate occasions or stoned (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:25). But he prayed because he knew where his strength came from. He prayed because he knew that God could see him through even the most difficult situations. Too often we cease to pray when we fail to see the answers we want.

Prayer is more than simple bowing our heads and speaking to God. Prayer is an attitude born out of a relationship. When the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him to teach them to pray (cf. Luke 11:1), Jesus began His lesson by asserting the relationship that we have with God, Our Father. We don't pray to some idol, but to a loving Father. One who desires an intimate relationship with us. Too often we get stuck on the form of prayer — how we position our bodies, the words we say, even the length of our prayers — rather than focusing on the unique relationship we have, through Jesus, with the God of the Universe.

Prayer, if it is to be effective, must be persistent. The story of the persistent widow recorded in Luke 18 was offered to illustrate to the disciples their need for constant prayer. That same truth is illustrated in the story of the man that goes to a friend at midnight and asks for bread, which was also a part of the lesson Jesus gave His disciples on prayer in Luke 11. Our persistence isn't to convince God to act but to keep active the lines of communication so that we know when He is prompting us into action. This is nowhere more evident than in the prayers we offer for the salvation of those around us who need a relationship with God. We know that God desires their salvation (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). All He is waiting for is a receptive heart and someone willing to deliver the good news. Might that someone be you?

Pray without ceasing.