Previous Questions and Answers
Please explain to me what is meant by
"praying without ceasing." What should I pray for? How
can I pray without stopping? What should be my topic every time?
Should I repeat the same thing again and again?
.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray
without ceasing.”
We go through our days, too often, in our own strength, instead
of in God’s strength. Not only that, but we, too
often, go through days doing “our will,” instead of
“God’s will.” Is is any wonder, then, that
so many Christians find themselves frustrated at work, at home,
and generally, with their lives?
My life as a Christian was transformed by applying Proverbs
3:5-6 to my days and daily tasks. Proverbs 3:5-6 says,
“5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways
acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
When you walk into a room, you “acknowledge” your
friends, that is, you “speak” to them. The Bible
tells us in all of our ways “acknowledge him”
(acknowledge God—speak to Him). When we speak to God,
that is “prayer.”
If we walked into a room, and failed to acknowledge our friends,
they would ask, “What is wrong?” Why, then, do we
fail to acknowledge the Lord in all things? Because He is
unseen, is He also not upon our minds? It is no wonder,
then, that we often experience frustration in life.
What would you do, if you had the strongest man in the world with
you every day? Whenever you needed help doing something,
you would immediately ask for his help. What would you do,
if you had the world’s wisest man with you every day?
Whenever you had a question about something, you automatically
ask him for the answer. God is with the Christian every
moment, and there is no limit to His strength or
understanding. Luke 1:37 says, “For with God nothing
shall be impossible.” Psalms 147:5 says, “Great
is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
Matthew 28:20 says, “...lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world. Amen.”
I have learned that if I will acknowledge God before I start a
task or go somewhere, He miraculously helps me. If, when I
get out of bed, I pray and acknowledge that I need His strength
and power and direction for the day, He is pleased, and helps
me. For each new task I start, if I will acknowledge Him,
then I find myself constantly praising Him and thanking Him for
helping me successfully do that task. This has also helped
me to obey another verse which previously seemed very difficult,
if not impossible, to do. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In
every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you.” How can you thank God
for everything? If we do not acknowledge God in all
things, then we will never thank Him in all things. What we
will do, is complain about many things. The key is to start
out acknowledging that we need the Lord’s help and guidance
for each task of the day, and then we will find that He helps us,
and we will find ourselves thanking Him in everything.
Prayer is not meaningless repetition, but a sincere request for
help and direction, and then a grateful thanks for everything
that He does. Matthew 6:7 says, “But when
ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
No need is too small to bring before the Lord. Philippians
4:6-7 says, “6 Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God. 7 And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
If you will start out your day acknowledging the Lord, “Father,
I need your help, and wisdom, and strength this day.”
“Father, I have to go to the store today, please help me.”
He can help you in the matter of traffic in getting there, and
going back home. He can help you find a good parking
place. He can help you find items on sale. He can
help you to remember things that you needed that were not even on
your list. He can help you make the right choice, when
there is more than one choice. He can help you to check out
quickly. If you will acknowledge God, you will find
yourself thanking Him constantly. “Thank you, Lord,
for helping me to get out onto that busy road.” “Father,
thank you for that great parking place.” “Father,
thank you for helping me to see that item on sale.”
“Father, thank you for helping me to see that item and
reminding me that I need that, when it was not even on my list.”
“Father, thank you for opening up that new lane so I could
check out quickly.”
When you learn to acknowledge God’s presence constantly, and
your need of His help (that is praying without ceasing), then He
will help you in a miraculous way, and you will find yourself
praising and thanking Him all the day long. He is pleased
that you are no longer ignoring Him, and He will bless you for
it. When we see what He does for us, then we are more
grateful, and we start praying, “Father, what would you like
me to do today? How can I please you today with my life?”
The Christian longs to see God’s hand working in his/her
life—and this is the way to see it happen.
