General Prayer Day // 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Today is National General Prayer Day…a time to think and practice the incomparable power of prayer. One of my favorite verses about prayer comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 where we read we are to pray without ceasing. This might confuse some, especially if you think of prayer as merely sitting or kneeling with your head bowed and eyes closed. That is certainly important for the life of the Jesus follower, but that can’t be the end-all of prayer since we must live and move in the world. Is this a contradiction? Nope, not at all. An unceasing prayer is like an ongoing dialogue with God. It points to an utter dependence on the Lord in all we say and do. This means we should then bathe all of our actions and activities in prayer, always seeking God’s will in whatever we do. Then, never give up on prayer, even when we feel like we might have missed something, because our journey with God is ongoing. There will undoubtedly be times when God wants you to get to amen, but He also wants you to engage in the ongoing conversation where you are open to His daily direction. So, as we get ready to kick off this Friday, let’s make a commitment to do so and pray without ceasing.