Pray Without Ceasing

Be unceasing in prayer---praying perseveringly. I Thessalonians 5:17 Amplified Bible

How would you describe your prayer life? For years it was a rote activity in which I found little joy or purpose. I knew how to read through a prayer list with as much passion and excitement as I would have reading a grocery list or the phone book. The thought of spending more than a couple minutes in prayer seemed more daunting than delightful to me. My lack of daily connection to God explained my lack of daily communication with Him. I knew what it was like to talk with someone I loved and thought the world of and I knew that was not my view of God or prayer. Because my view of Him was so distorted it affected my desire to talk to Him, spend time with Him, and learn about Him. How it must have broken His heart to see that I struggled with the thing He found such pleasure in.

As I have come to realize some precious truths about God it has begun to correct my view of Him. With that correction has come a change in the way I approach His Word and His throne! I marvel when God allows a portion of Scripture to come alive to me. And I marvel when He gives me a new concept for prayer. This morning, an avenue of prayer has opened up to me and what a joy it was to venture on to the path. Let me explain.

I love devotional books. I presently have five of them that enrich my mornings. I read them last year but know they will take on new dimensions for me this year. What I did not realize was how God would nudge me to use them as prayer guides. This morning as I read some I found myself praying for the truths I was taking in. The words I read became my prayers to God. For instance, when I read Make Him the Source, the Center, and the One who encompasses every delight of your soul (Streams in the Desert, p.15), I voiced those very words to God! The more I did this as I read the more I was empowered.

What would happen if everything I read through out the day became petitions to God? If every circumstance I faced became a catalyst for talking to God? If every thing I faced in a day became a doorway of communication with God? Praying without ceasing would no longer appear to be just nice words. They would become my daily experience!

Father, may You continue to broaden my view of prayer. Learning to talk and listen to You delights us both! Amen.