How to Pray Without Ceasing

What is Prayer?

Prayer is a simple spiritual act that seeks to activate communication with God. A prayer is an act of supplication; a way of humbly submitting to God.

Prayer involves both speaking to God and allowing God to speak to you. But this communication is not always verbal. Prayer can be a simple look toward heaven or a sincere cry expressing joy or hurt.

Prayer is an expression of our faith in God and each of us expresses ourselves in different ways. As such, prayer is very personal to the believer.

It is a serious mistake to compare your prayers to others, but just as a newborn baby learns to communicate with its mother, newborn Christians must also learn how to speak to God.

In Luke 11, after Jesus had finished praying, one of the disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” This implies that communicating with God can be learned. But as we grow in our Christian faith, we naturally develop our personal method of speaking to God.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Luke 11:1 New International Version (NIV)

The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus himself taught his disciples to pray in a certain manner. Jesus gave them a blueprint on how they should begin to communicate with God the Father. This is also the way we should begin our prayer life in current times.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Luke 11:2-4 King James Version (KJV)

The Lord’s prayer includes key structural points:

  • It begins with the acknowledgment of God in Heaven
  • It expresses humility and submission to God
  • It begs for the forgiveness of sin
  • It requests guidance from God

How ever you decide to communicate with God, make sure that the above elements are included in your prayer and it will be thorough and complete.

How Do I Pray Without Ceasing?

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 New International Version (NIV)

At first glance, it might seem extremely hard to pray without ceasing. After all, we have busy lives that require our focus and attention. How can we balance the stress of a family, a job, or school while being in constant prayer?

Prayer without ceasing comes naturally from an attitude of gratitude. It is much easier to maintain a spiritual expression of thankfulness when we are grateful for everything in our lives – good and bad.

To pray without ceasing doesn’t mean that we live 24/7 on our knees. However, it does mean that we are in constant communication with God, rejoicing in spirit and giving thanks every moment of every day. It’s about changing your perspective and your thoughts to be thankful for all things. God knows your heart’s intent and if you feel genuine thankfulness, that is communicated to God even while you are physically doing other things.

Allow your prayer life to become the soundtrack to your life. Simply adjust the volume when necessary. The volume may be very low while you’re at work in a meeting. You may turn it up a little during your daily commute, giving God praise for a way to pay your bills. Then, when God blesses you abundantly, you can turn the volume all the way up like your favorite song just came on the radio!

The point is this: no matter what life throws at you, prayer is always there.

5 Ways to Pray Without Ceasing

1. Be Grateful in All Things

One thing we can be sure of is that things will happen in our lives every day. Learning to be grateful in all things simply involves thanking God for bad things as well as good things. Whether circumstances make you feel happy or sad, be grateful for the ability to feel…

2. Speak to God in Your Own Way

Christians don’t speak to God as we speak to friends or coworkers. We talk to God with humility, reverence, and respect. However, that doesn’t mean that we use every $10-word we know. Speak to God from your heart and be sincere in your communication. The words are not important. The words are not even necessary. Speak to God from your heart and He will receive you.

3. Make Prayer a Habit

A habit is a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

Making prayer a habit means doing it regularly and making a part of your very existence. It can begin as a scheduled practice, eventually becoming a natural occurrence. In essence, habitually prayer is a learned behavior. It must be practiced so much that you feel awkward if you don’t do it.

4. Sing Praise and Worship Songs

One of the best ways to pray without ceasing is to keep a worship song in your heart. Singing a song of praise or humming along to Jesus Songs is a great way to maintain a spirit of worship at all times. Sing unto the Lord!

5. Stop Worrying

Faith and worrying cannot coexist. When we are worrying about our problems, it’s because our faith is weak and we are not convinced that God will see us through. Conversely, when our faith is strong, we believe that God has got our back, therefore, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and have faith!

Conclusion

The key to praying without ceasing is to identify opportunities to communicate with God in our daily lives. In our most formal prayers, we can speak to God in the format that Jesus described to the disciples. But at other times, a simple glance toward heaven can be a complete and total expression to God.

Here’s a sample 10-second prayer of gratitude:

Dear God, You are the ruler of Heaven and Earth and the creator of all things. Thank you for this rattling noise that my car is making. I don’t know what’s causing it, but every time I hear it, it makes me nervous and reminds me to pray. If it’s your will, please remove the sound. If that’s not your will, please remove my anxiety. Let your will be done. Amen.

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