Are You Passionate About Prayer?
“Be unceasing in prayer praying perseveringly.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (Amplified)
There is no doubt you have heard the saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Think of the things you enjoy doing. Have you ever been so involved in those activities that you don’t notice the passage of time? Before you know it, time gets away from you and maybe hours have passed. It is said that those activities are the things that you are “passionate” about.
Have you ever been talking to a friend or loved one in the evening and gotten deep into a conversation or discussion only to realize well in to the night or early morning that you have been talking or reminiscing for hours? That’s passion—either for the subject or for the person with whom you are talking. Time means nothing in those situations, and often, you didn’t even get tired while talking.
Yet how often do we lose ourselves and lose time in prayer with God? How passionate are we about prayer? I know what you’re going to say: “But James, I am praying all the time. I am in constant prayer.” Well, I know what you mean, if your relationship with God is so deep that no matter where you go or what you do, God is there with you, as your faithful companion, and you are in constant conversation with Him. That sounds real good, I know, but often times, if you are like me, you get so busy with the rest of the stuff of life that you don’t think about God, or at least you forget about Him. Let’s just be honest with ourselves.
Yet, the Bible says that prayer should never cease. Does this mean 24/7/365? That’s a possible interpretation, but it’s not a practical application. Yes, in Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, God is always with us—never leaving us or forsaking us—and as believers in Jesus Christ, we have open and constant access to God at all times and for all time. But God has given us lives to live and we must come out of the prayer closet to live them. Thankfully, therefore, we can talk to God in prayer any time of day.
I believe the practical idea behind “praying without ceasing” is that prayer should be such an important part of our lives that we pursue it passionately with unending and unswerving determination. When prayer ceases to be an intentional pursuit, our faith begins to suffer. Instead of trying to figure things out on our own, we should pray. Instead of listening to advice from some pop psychologist, we should pray. Instead of worrying, whining, and weakening, we should pray.
We must be consistent, persistent, and insistent in our prayer life. God alone has the strength, wisdom, and comfort to give us when we and others face the trials and troubles of life. When was the last time you let time get away from you while praying for others or just in intentional dialog with God? Like me, it’s been too long since that time.
I like Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase in The Message, of Jesus’ admonition and instruction to His disciples when He was praying in the garden before being arrested. Jesus said to them, “Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire” (Matthew 26:41 – The Message).
May we become passionate and active people of unceasing prayer.
Have you ever been talking to a friend or loved one in the evening and gotten deep into a conversation or discussion only to realize well in to the night or early morning that you have been talking or reminiscing for hours? That’s passion—either for the subject or for the person with whom you are talking. Time means nothing in those situations, and often, you didn’t even get tired while talking.
Yet how often do we lose ourselves and lose time in prayer with God? How passionate are we about prayer? I know what you’re going to say: “But James, I am praying all the time. I am in constant prayer.” Well, I know what you mean, if your relationship with God is so deep that no matter where you go or what you do, God is there with you, as your faithful companion, and you are in constant conversation with Him. That sounds real good, I know, but often times, if you are like me, you get so busy with the rest of the stuff of life that you don’t think about God, or at least you forget about Him. Let’s just be honest with ourselves.
Yet, the Bible says that prayer should never cease. Does this mean 24/7/365? That’s a possible interpretation, but it’s not a practical application. Yes, in Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, God is always with us—never leaving us or forsaking us—and as believers in Jesus Christ, we have open and constant access to God at all times and for all time. But God has given us lives to live and we must come out of the prayer closet to live them. Thankfully, therefore, we can talk to God in prayer any time of day.
I believe the practical idea behind “praying without ceasing” is that prayer should be such an important part of our lives that we pursue it passionately with unending and unswerving determination. When prayer ceases to be an intentional pursuit, our faith begins to suffer. Instead of trying to figure things out on our own, we should pray. Instead of listening to advice from some pop psychologist, we should pray. Instead of worrying, whining, and weakening, we should pray.
We must be consistent, persistent, and insistent in our prayer life. God alone has the strength, wisdom, and comfort to give us when we and others face the trials and troubles of life. When was the last time you let time get away from you while praying for others or just in intentional dialog with God? Like me, it’s been too long since that time.
I like Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase in The Message, of Jesus’ admonition and instruction to His disciples when He was praying in the garden before being arrested. Jesus said to them, “Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire” (Matthew 26:41 – The Message).
May we become passionate and active people of unceasing prayer.
posted by Sojourner at 11:41 AM
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