Pray Without Ceasing

2021-08-14

Another brief verse: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). I believe the Spirit means this in the most literal sense. The other times the phrase “without ceasing” is used, whether by English phrase or Greek word, it is paired with some manner of communication with God. What does it mean?

It means to never stop praying, ever.

This is easier said than done. Ironically, I violated this commandment a multitude of times while writing this. We always must communicate with God. It is the way to tell our Father that we are trusting in Him. He knows our needs and desires, but our telling Him expresses our faith that He will accomplish His perfect will. The prayer then becomes an opportunity for the Lord to conform us to His perfect will. It is an act of worship.

Do we really know how weak and fragile we are? The Lord told the disciples at Gethsemane, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). It is only one step away from sin and compromise. We must constantly be in dialogue with the Savior to express our reliance on Him and ask Him to accomplish His perfect will in us.

Clearly this eternal prayer requires some mental multitasking. We must think about our tasks at work, traffic laws in the car, and so forth. But how can we compartmentalize those things away from faith? Don’t we need the Lord at these times as well?

We cannot do anything without Him, so we must always be communicating with Him. We must ask Him His will at every juncture. We require that constant refocusing.

This is the second perspective in the pulling down of strong holds.