“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

For over a year, we have focused on “Covid 19.” This pandemic changed our lives in many ways. New habits such as social distancing and washing of hands became a new norm. Wearing masks was required. Now we see the easing of many requirements. In many places masks are no longer required.

Another habit during the pandemic was to pray constantly for God’s protection and guidance. Many saw prayer as a requirement for the day. Now that there is less threat, the question is whether we continue to see prayer as a requirement for life.

For some prayer is much like ordering a meal in a restaurant. God is seen as a server standing by with pad and pen to take our requests. We might wish to hear if God has any specials for the day, but in reality, we consider any conversation with God is complete when we have finished expressing our wishes.

In this scripture, the mandate is to, “pray without ceasing.” To pray without ceasing is to continually pray even when we don’t have any requests to make. If we understand why we pray, we will understand why we never stop praying.

Prayer is fellowship with the Lord. The Lord desires to be our partner in life, our guide in decisions, our comforter in strife, our encourager in life, our confidant in counsel, our power in weakness, our celebration in every moment. Fellowship is more than making requests known. Fellowship is interaction where we listen as well as talk. Fellowship is enjoying intimacy, understanding, and transparency. Fellowship is “the icing on the cake” where we enjoy the partnership of God in every event of the day. Prayer is the practice of friends (God and us) having unbroken partnership in life.

Prayer is power to meet the day. The issues of life strain the believer’s ability to deal with life. But Jesus has overcome this world and is the strength we find in our time of weakness. Prayer is the practice of allowing God to prepare us for the challenges before they appear. Prayer is the attitude adjustment to see good, not evil. Prayer is the confidence that today is made by God for us to celebrate with Him. To pray without ceasing is to cherish each day as a gift from God.

Prayer is practice for eternity. One day, believers will gather around their Savior in Heaven and praise his name forever. Today should be a focus on praising God for who He is. Today should be a practice of seeing life as an endless supply of God’s grace to meet every need.

God’s mandate for each day is for us to include Him in every moment we face. That happens when we take everything to Him in prayer. Pray without ceasing!