Without Ceasing

I found it to be a very challenging thing to decide what subject to write on in my first blog post. In the months to come this first post won't hold any more significance than any of the later posts (in respect to when I posted it, anyhow). I have never before blogged nor done anything similar, such as kept a journal or even ever updated my Facebook status. Though many of the blogs that I will inevitably post in the future will be short and light hearted in nature I thought that I would start with a slightly more challenging subject.

The Bible asks us to do a great many things, it commands us to do quite a few things, however it only asks us to do one thing without ceasing, pray. Many of us may find this to be a daunting or confusing task. However, with a little insight the mystery of "prayer without ceasing" can not only be understood, but also be incredibly rewarding.

The dictionary defines cease as a verb meaning "to come to an end". If that is the case than it's pretty easy to come to the conclusion that without ceasing would mean "to never come to an end". How can anything in our lives continue on without end? Aside from breathing (which does occasionally stop, as I found out playing football once), does anything in our lives continue without ceasing? I can't think of a single thing. However, in his letter to the Church of Thessaonica Paul admonishes them to pray without ceasing.

I believe many in the church have a very narrow view of what prayer really is. To many, prayer has been confined to a moment of solemn reverence where eyes are closed, heads are bowed and hands are folded. While these are all elements of corporate prayer. They are actually only put into practice to allow us to create an atmosphere of focus. Closing our eyes and folding our hands (which comes to me as quite a strange phrase) allows us to effectively eliminate two forms of distractions that come from our senses. This helps place our focus' on where it should be, the words that we are speaking and the words others (including God) are speaking. Though these are important tools, the bottom line is prayer is a conversation with God. It can be a dialogue or it can be a monologue, whatever it's form it is communication between people.

However, I don't think that Paul is actually referencing this type of prayer. I believe that Paul is actually trying to communicate a lifestyle, a way to carry ourselves every day. What would prayerful living look like? For starters, we would offer up everything that we do as worship to our Creator. People use this terminology lightly, but I mean to literally praise Jesus in your every action. Prayerfully living would also mean that we would communicate everything that we're feeling to our Heavenly Father. Whether it's frustration, anger, joy, excitement or confusion... We would lay these feelings and weigh these feelings at the feet of Jesus. Another thing that would be evident in a prayerfully living person would be there choice to pray for the people around them. Does your coworker have problems at home? Pray. Does your boss annoy you? Pray. Are your family members struggling? Pray. Though some of the issues you encounter may demand a more solemn and focused time of prayer, you can lift them up in prayer as you listen to the person you're talking to and then continue to pray after you've moved on to something else.

So, why would we want pray without ceasing? For those who desire to find intimacy with their Creator and Savior the answer is simple, because we want to. As with every relationship, the more communication you have with that person the better you understand them. The more quickly you can react to how they will respond. The more you will desire to be connected to them. The more you will come to realize your need of them. We all need Jesus and many of us want Jesus, but very few of us understand how deeply we need Jesus in our lives every moment of every day. Living a life filled with unending prayer is a challenge, but it will not only be rewarding in that moment but will continue to dole out rewards for all of eternity.