Category: Prayer
Pray without ceasing
Jesus in Luke 18:1 charged us to always pray and not give up. Paul instructed the Thessalonian church to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). These two scriptures makes it clear to us what the Father’s will is for us when it comes to praying – do it without ceasing. What does it really mean then to pray without ceasing? This is a burning question for all of us.
The literal translation of the phrase “pray without ceasing” is nothing left between, without unnecessary interval, without a gap. The word was used in ancient Rome to describe someone with an annoying cough. Although the person would stop coughing at times, he is described as a “cougher” coughing every little while but constantly aware of the condition that caused the cough.
From 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we can draw a few observations.
1. Prayer doesn’t necessarily have to be audible. In Exodus 14:15 God asked Moses “Why do you cry to me?” yet there is no record of Moses praying. Moses was so intimate with God, that even though he may not have uttered a single word audibly, but his deepest feelings, thoughts, tears were capable of being understood as audible words by God.
2. Where we pray isn’t essential. As much as we have our own allotted places for prayer, for us to pray without ceasing means any place is a place of prayer. We are the temple of Christ Jesus and we carry his presence (1 Corinthians 3:16).
3. There are no set times of prayer. Although it is a good discipline to establish set times of prayer, it is clear from this passage that any time is a time of prayer. In some religions, they have established times of prayer. However, for us, the instruction is simple, “pray all the time”. I have come to realise that when I have prayed in my set time, I tend to be relaxed in my prayer throughout the day as I have this assumption that my job is done for the day. But the bible instructs us to never go without prayer. We should be God conscious continually.
4. Unlike other religions that have to adopt a certain posture and face a certain direction, we are not under any instruction from the word to adopt a certain posture. Some people kneel, others stand, ultimately the posture we adopt in prayer is one of our choice. However, if we are to pray always, it is certainly impossible to be on our knees all the time.
To pray without ceasing is therefore a constant awareness of God’s presence. We are to cultivate His presence and commune with our heavenly father continually. The more God conscious we are, the more we are able to pray without ceasing. Like the “cougher” who is constantly aware of their condition, we are to be in an attitude of prayer and nonstop awareness of God.
Why pray?
We live in an era where people don’t pray or are too busy to pray. In actual fact, people don’t pray, not because they don’t have the time to, but because they don’t believe that prayer can change anything. You will always create time for anything you consider important.
Most Christians believe that God is almighty and that He is able to do anything but only few are convinced He is also willing to do it for them. We need to connect, not just with the ability of God but also with His willingness, when we pray according to His will.
Nothing significant happens in this life except someone prays. Men and women who have changed the world, have been men and women of prayer. There is no one who has ever achieved anything for God who was not a man or woman given to prayer.
God does not just want us to work for Him but He desires an intimate relationship with Him whereby we can talk to Him and He talks back to us, this can be accomplished through prayer.
Martin Luther for example said “The first two hours of my day, I spend for God”. John Knox was a man of prayer who spent six hours every day before God in prayer. Charles Finney and co-partner Father Nash and David Brainerd spent hours daily in prayer. These men shook the world through revivals.
To accomplish anything significant for God and to fulfil purpose and destiny, you must be a woman of prayer.
Throughout the old testament, we see men and women who devoted their lives to prayer.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were men of prayer. They built prayer alters which basically was a place of contact with God and a place of covenant.
Hannah prayed for a man child and God answered her prayer.
David said in Psalms 55:17 “evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud to you”
Daniel went into his house and with his window opened towards Jerusalem, he knelt down and prayed three times a day as his custom was after the decree was passed that no one should pray, except to the king of Babylon.
In the new testament also, there are several examples of men and women who prayed.
Jesus, our great example. His life was characterised by prayer, early in the morning before the breaking of the day, Jesus would depart to a solitary place to pray. If Jesus, our saviour and Lord could pray, how much more us, and what makes us think that we can do the work of God without prayer. We cannot be effective minister of God’s word without investing time in prayer.
The disciples continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)
Your attitude in prayer determines your altitude in the Spirit
Why Pray ?
We pray because:
We love God. If you have ever been in love with someone, you know how much you want to spend time with the person. Same with God, prayer brings us in close fellowship and intimacy with God.
It is the means of making our request known to God and having our needs met. Every problem we are facing has a solution and the solution can only be found in God and in His word. The bible says that he that ask, receives. We receive instructions at the place of prayer to get our needs met.
In order to resist temptation. Jesus said to His disciples “watch and pray lest you enter into temptation”. Much sin is the result of prayerlessness. Through lack of prayer, we become weak and as a result, satan takes advantage of us.
Jesus prayed. If Jesus prayed, how much more us.
It is God’s weapon of choice given to Christians to enforce the will of God on earth. “Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11.2).
Through prayer, man invites God to act in salvation. “It is not God’s will that any should perish but that all may come to repentance” (2 peter 3:9).
God commands so. Jesus said “men ought always to pray and not faint” (Luke 18.1). Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Some demons can only be driven out through prayer.
I want to encourage you today to give yourself to prayer, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think, when you pray.
Take the limits off your prayer, make a quality decision today to spend some quality time with God in prayer, you will be surprised what God will accomplish through you.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1John 5: 14-15
