Don't Lose Heart

The Apostle Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. Does this mean that every second of the day we should be saying a prayer? It sounds self explanatory, but what does the Apostle Paul really mean by this statement?

In I Thessalonians 5, the Apostle Paul lays out some expected behaviors and mindsets for the Believer. In verse 17, one of those expectations is to "pray without ceasing." On the surface, this can appear to be an unrealistic expectation. I mean, is he really telling us to pray all day long? Well, let's take a closer look at Paul's words.

The word "ceasing" involves an act of omission. It signifies the neglect of doing something. What Paul is saying to us is not to neglect the importance of prayer in our daily lives. He's speaking to our capacity and our tenacity to endure! He's speaking to our consistency in prayer. Don't lose heart! Don't stop praying for what you're believing God for. Don't stop praying for other people no matter how it looks. Don't stop praying for our leaders and our communities no matter what you see in the news. Don't stop praying! When we cease to pray, we cease to believe.

We don't always have to have the posture of the little girl in the picture to be praying. It is possible to pray throughout the day by having our hearts in a posture of prayer. What does this look like? It's meditating on the Word with a thankful heart. It can also be praying in the Holy Spirit. It can be talking to God in your head if you're not in a place to get alone and pray. It means inviting God into your decisions throughout the day. It's practicing to be mindful and intentional to include God in every part of our day.

Jesus gives us a good illustration in Luke 18 with the parable of the woman who kept bringing her request before the King. The woman kept bringing her request before the King even when she wasn't seeing what she was asking for. She continued to bring her request before him until she saw her answer manifest. She didn't lose heart! She didn't cease her request. What is even more significant in this passage to me is that Jesus concludes the parable by saying in vs. 7, "now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?" Jesus is telling us that God wants to answer our prayers to Him. He won't delay long. We can trust Him, but we have to endure. He is so good!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord, help us to have an increasing desire to pray more consistently throughout our day. Help us to have the tenacity and the capacity to endure through prayer as we wait for you to reveal the answers that we long for. Thank you that we have the assurance that you love us and only have a plan of good for our lives. We trust that your good plan will unfold as we patiently wait upon you in prayer. We love you. Amen.