by Amber Newell

“Pray without ceasing?” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Does anyone else find that an ominous task? I think of the many things that run through my head on a daily basis…I have to make sure I get this done, I have to clean that, organize this, reach out to that person, take time for fellowship, drink my water, try to exercise, show my husband appreciation, the list goes on and on. I have to be a good steward of the work that God has laid before me. I can’t possibly be in a constant state of eyes closed, on my knees, mind-emptied kind of physicality that this verse seems to describe. It seems like something only the perfect Christ could accomplish.

Naturally, digging to look into the meaning of “pray without ceasing,” I stumbled upon something enlightening and comforting. In the Greek, this verse is translated, “pray without intermission.” From my perspective, this verse doesn’t set us up for failure by ignoring the vocations we have been given but sets an expectation before us as believers that we pray with consistency. Meaning that we shouldn’t just pray when a problem comes up or whenever we feel that we have time for it.

“Prayer should be a beautiful expression of affection for and trust in God with fervency and affection like we are enjoying time with our Beloved. Our prayers should be loyal and transparent.”

Our prayer team at City Church does an amazing job of dedicating themselves to prayer, not just on Thursdays, but always because it is a beautiful privilege to do so. They lay everything before Him in an open and honest way. They each have deep affections for and personal relationships with God that make prayer come like talking to a best friend, with reverence for the King of Kings. That’s how Jesus wants us to commune with Him.

Please pray that the Lord guards the prayer team against the evil one’s attacks and that God’s glory would be revealed. Pray this also for yourself. The Lord is the One who is all in one to us, our Father, Counselor, Protector, Friend, Teacher, Provider, and Comforter. If we believe God is all these things to us, how could we not take everything to Him in sincere prayer, good, bad, and ugly? He knows each of us to the innermost parts of ourselves, but He sent Jesus to be our rescue all the same. “Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

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