Unceasing Prayer

“Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV)

Everyone is busy. We have responsibilities. There is much to accomplish. And, when we are not being productive, we want to enjoy ourselves. Our to-do list is endless, and our time is limited. How can we pray without ceasing when there is so much to be done?

Maybe we need to rethink our ideas about what it means to pray. Many of us were raised to believe that prayer involved repeating lines which we had memorized.  Others learned to use Scripture verses as a preface to petitions. Whatever the methods or rituals, we were taught that prayer required us to take a break from our daily activities.

"To pray, I think, does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things, or to spend time with God instead of spending time with other people. Rather, it means to think and live in the presence of God.” (Henri Nouwen)

How do we think and live in the presence of God?

We are always in God’s presence, and He already knows our every thought. However, we are rarely aware of God’s omnipresence or omniscience.  We get so absorbed in ourselves and our own agenda that we become unconscious of God.

Prayer requires us to shift our focus from the Self to God. In order to pray continually, we have to be in constant communion with God, connected and open, mindful that our every thought, word, and deed happens in His presence. Through prayer we can acknowledge God and direct our entire being to Him. Presenting ourselves, moment by moment, to the God who is Ever-present and All-knowing--this is unceasing prayer.

Lord, help us to be constantly aware of Your presence.