Pray Without Ceasing in Today’s World
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)
What does it look like to truly pray without ceasing, especially when life is busy and going a million miles an hour? What does it look like to walk with the Lord when the hurries of life can feel unceasing as well?
When time is lacking it can feel difficult to know where to start to pray or maybe even how to pray. Tyler Staton, in his book Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, says there are three reasons why we don’t pray: 1) fear of being naive, 2) fear of silence, and 3) fear of doing it wrong. He elaborates on each of these concepts, mainly showing that it is in our nature for prayer to be difficult and it takes intentionality to recognize that it doesn’t have to be. In fact, when we address the hurdles keeping us from prayer we can begin to experience the freedom that prayer can bring.
Addressing the Hurdles to Prayer
Staton illustrates four hurdles to prayer that we can use as drivers toward prayer instead: 1) Pray because you’re overwhelmed, 2) Pray because trust comes before faith, 3) Pray because complaints are welcome, and 4) Pray because the only way to get it wrong is by trying to get it right. He then elaborates on each of these, essentially saying, “Pray as you can.” Prayer does not have to be complicated or long. It can be short, it can be a cry for help, it can be a celebration, a praise, or even a lament. It does not have to be filled with fancy speech or have a particular order, it simply has to be; it is simply a heart reaching out for connection with God.
Rethinking the How and the When
So how do we figure out what to pray about? Are some things more worthy of God's time than others? Should we only pray about the big things? I believe that if it's something you encounter, it's something God wants to hear about. What would it look like to talk to Him about that work meeting, that friend, that child you are worried about? What would it look like to celebrate in the small delights of chocolate cake and laughter? If prayer has never been presented to you this way, as a conversation, then I encourage you to try it.
Many times we are intimidated by this God, our God, and we forget He is also our friend. What would it look like to truly go to Him for everything—even our bored moments that show up in the hurries of life? So many times we reach out for our phone when it is communion with God that our hearts are longing for. What would it look like to rededicate those times waiting in line, on a drive, in the grocery store, doing the dishes, to look to Him instead?
The Posture of Our Heart
When prayer is scarce we feel more frantic, less centered, and more anxious. With needs and tasks piling up, we may feel like we have no time for prayer, but so often it is the posture we take as we go about our day that causes us to feel this way. Imagine a bull powering through closed gates alone, then picture someone with hands open and ready to receive God’s aid along the path. What would it feel like to change the posture of our heart away from a journey alone where we call all the shots (and bear all the burden) and shift toward a journey with God as our companion where we are open to receive…to surrender control? This is the work that prayer can do in our lives.
Repurposing Small Moments
Prayer doesn’t have to take up huge chunks of your day, either. What would it look like for you to surrender little moments? As an example, laundry is not my favorite thing, so sometimes I pray over the clothes as I’m folding them, praising God for the clothes and the little socks and the three little kids who dirty them. I’ve found that when I pray in gratitude and praise, I start to feel this shift in my own heart toward that open-handed image. But sometimes it is not a simple thing like laundry weighing us down. Sometimes it is something heavier pressing on our hearts. You can still use monotonous times—like washing dishes or cooking dinner—to bring these things to the Lord, to process and lean into where you are hurting. Even if it's while you’re “busy,” God is always listening.
So let us continue to pray without ceasing…on our drives, in the shower, walking our dogs, singing our babies to sleep, throughout work and all. Let us use the gift that is prayer!
References:
Staton, Tyler. “Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools.” Zondervan, 2022.