In two weeks our church is going to spend an entire Sunday focused on prayer. The music, the message, and even an afternoon event will all focus on prayer - in this case, particularly as it pertains to the need to pray for God's hand in our efforts to relocate our church campus.
As such, a friend of mine and I were discussing the concept of "praying without ceasing" today. Scripture instructs us to "pray without ceasing;" obviously this doesn't mean that we are to stay in our closets on our knees all day. So what does it mean? After a time of reflection and discussion, we came upon two pertinent things.
First, to pray without ceasing means that you have a continual open dialogue with God all the time - one that you can start, stop, restart, come back to later, etc. all the time. Driving down the road, when you see a pretty sunset and thank God for the beauty around us...or when you find yourself talking to someone and you begin to ask God for wisdom because they've just popped open the lid on a very sensitive subject...or when a new business deal comes across your desk, and you start your evaluation of it by asking God what He thinks...or whatever else. The point is, talking to God no longer stops with "the Big 3" (Sunday morning church, mealtimes, and right before your head hits the pillow). You are in constant contact with him all day, every day - alert to His presence, and open to His will.
Second, praying without ceasing keeps you focused with a Kingdom mindset. Ever notice how you feel pumped up and encouraged after going to church on Sunday, but by Monday afternoon you're beat down by all that is going on around you? When you're in continual communication with God, your connection to His Kingdom perspective stays intact. People's bad behavior is easier to handle because you can see their pain a little better through God's eye...bad news still hurts, but you can handle it better. In essence, you are more apt to react in a Godly manner to whatever situation comes your way.
As such, a friend of mine and I were discussing the concept of "praying without ceasing" today. Scripture instructs us to "pray without ceasing;" obviously this doesn't mean that we are to stay in our closets on our knees all day. So what does it mean? After a time of reflection and discussion, we came upon two pertinent things.
First, to pray without ceasing means that you have a continual open dialogue with God all the time - one that you can start, stop, restart, come back to later, etc. all the time. Driving down the road, when you see a pretty sunset and thank God for the beauty around us...or when you find yourself talking to someone and you begin to ask God for wisdom because they've just popped open the lid on a very sensitive subject...or when a new business deal comes across your desk, and you start your evaluation of it by asking God what He thinks...or whatever else. The point is, talking to God no longer stops with "the Big 3" (Sunday morning church, mealtimes, and right before your head hits the pillow). You are in constant contact with him all day, every day - alert to His presence, and open to His will.
Second, praying without ceasing keeps you focused with a Kingdom mindset. Ever notice how you feel pumped up and encouraged after going to church on Sunday, but by Monday afternoon you're beat down by all that is going on around you? When you're in continual communication with God, your connection to His Kingdom perspective stays intact. People's bad behavior is easier to handle because you can see their pain a little better through God's eye...bad news still hurts, but you can handle it better. In essence, you are more apt to react in a Godly manner to whatever situation comes your way.
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