4/3 Strength for Today

Praying Without Ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:17
“Pray without ceasing.”

The command to “Pray without ceasing” is one of the most misunderstood commands in Scripture. At first glance, this command would seem to be an impossible command. Not only does the command seem to be impossible, but it also is a command that can be very overwhelming.

As always, God never commands us to do something that He does not give us the wherewithal to accomplish it. The command to “Pray without ceasing” was God's way of trying to get us to understand that we should have a prayer life and not just a prayer time. One of the biggest mistakes Christians make is that they only have a prayer time. Of course some don't even have this, but those who do pray on a daily basis have a set time to pray. I believe if you are going to be successful in prayer then you must have a set time to pray daily. What God was trying to keep us from doing with this command was to not only pray at a certain time, but also have a life of prayer. In other words, we should use every opportunity we can to pray.

I believe there are two ways we can accomplish the command to “Pray without ceasing.” First, ask Jesus to keep your prayer before the throne of God as you go throughout your day. Like many of you, I have a set time I pray every day. Now there is no way I can accomplish what I need to do throughout the day and pray all day long. Because I can't pray all day long, I ask Jesus, Who is my Intercessor, to keep my prayer before the throne of God all day until I can come back. As I serve God throughout the day, Jesus takes my prayer and intercedes on my behalf. Thus, I accomplish the command to pray without ceasing.

Secondly, I use reminders to pray for people or situations. Like I have previously commented, I believe God wants us to have a prayer life. In other words, we should always be in a constant attitude of prayer. What I mean by this is we should always be ready to pray. For instance, when I see something that reminds me of a person, I use that opportunity to pray for that person. I believe God brought that object or situation across my path so I could pray for that person. Also, when I see an accident or an ambulance rushing somewhere, I always pray for those involved. I use several things like this to help me to pray without ceasing.

The command to “Pray without ceasing” is not an impossible command. Start obeying this command today by taking the two tips I gave to obey this command and do them yourself. I believe you will find that as you do this, you will have more and more prayers answered.