Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
It is the week of Thanksgiving, we are focused on Thanks-Living, and we are using this passage from the New Testament to help us do it. On Monday, we looked at how and why we can rejoice always,regardless of the circumstances we are facing. Today we will give thought to what it means to stay in constant communication with our Lord and Savior.
Verse 17 — Pray Continually
At first glance, this seems like an impossible command. Who in the world can pray continually amidst all the hustle and bustle and noise of daily life and the waves of challenge that can crash over us on any given day? Well, the first thing we need to understand is what Paul was not saying. He was not saying we are to be on our knees in our prayer closets all day long, crying out to God and neglecting the duties of daily living. Because prayer is nothing more than conversation with God, Paul was telling us to live in a posture of prayer throughout the day. This posture of prayer is not physical; it is spiritual. It is living in an attitude of intercession with the Almighty, continually communicating with God about everything, both the majestic and the mundane.
Never forget that God cares about the mundane matters of our lives. God listens to every word we speak, and He is interested in every aspect of our lives. God wants us to talk to Him about everything. In fact, He absolutely loves it when we come to Him for a time of communion during those seemingly insignificant moments of life. Personally, I always go to Jesus and ask for His help in finding my “lost” car keys. If we are going to be people of prayer, we must be willing to bring Jesus with us throughout the day and consult with Him about everything that is going on. Obviously Jesus already knows everything that is taking place in our lives and throughout the universe, but He still wants to hear from us about what we’re thinking and how we are feeling.
Take another look: God’s Word does not command us to “Pray continually . . . unless you are really busy.” It is not only possible to pray continually without making significant changes to your daily schedule, it is practical. I have heard it said that “This is like keeping some music playing in the background as we go about our daily routine.” What a wonderful picture of praying continually! Keeping the music of prayer playing throughout the day will keep us in close communion and intimate conversation with our Master, Jesus.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 