New neighbors have moved into our neighborhood – a couple of mangy mismatched donkeys.  They saunter up to the back fence whenever they hear us. 

My wife is ecstatic.   We have taken out a loan to keep them supplied with carrots and grain pellets.  They also crave animal crackers which ironically include donkey shaped crackers.  Clearly a case of cannibalism? 

They insist I give them my attention when they see me.  The bigger one brays (which is donkey speak for screams).  He, in fact, brays without ceasing – continually – non-stop, and unfortunately, he sounds like he has swallowed a flip-flop. 

He knows that I have the power and means to feed him and he won’t let me forget it.  I am annoyed and yet I marvel at his persistence.  He puts my prayer life to shame. 

Indeed, the Apostle Paul tells me that I am to, “Pray without ceasing” 1 Thess. 5:17.  – KJV.    What?  The only thing I do without ceasing is to breathe.  And I have sleep apnea so I can barely do that.  

So, does Paul really expect us to pray non-stop?  Well, that’s what he did.  In multiple places Paul used the word “always” to describe the way he prayed. (Phil 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess 1:11; Col 1:3).

And he told us that a guy named Epaphras prayed in the same way (Col 4:12).

What does Paul mean by this?  The words, “without ceasing” are translated from one Greek word (adialeiptos).  In other literature of the day, this word was used to describe the payment of taxes, a nagging cough, repeat military campaigns and the production of fruit on a tree. 

The word isn’t an “every second of the day” kind of scenario.  The book of Acts makes it clear that Paul did lots of other things than just pray.  This word carries the idea of doing something on a regular basis as a matter of habit.   It is constantly recurring, not continuously occurring.”  (Wiersbe) So…

– To pray without ceasing is to make prayer a regular part of our lives.

We should pray daily when we meet with God and read in His Word.  We might keep a prayer journal to hold us accountable to the commitments we make to others to pray.  Because my wife and I use a prayer journal each evening, we could say that we pray for many people, pastors and churches without ceasing.  We should pray when we gather with others at small group, or church. 

         But there is more to this. 

– To pray without ceasing is to live in conscious dependence on God. 

We know that without the Lord we can do nothing (John 15:5)   If we truly understand this, then spontaneous verbalized prayer will naturally and appropriately happen.  We will give thanks throughout the day when we see evidence of His goodness and pray when we encounter challenges.  When we wake up in the middle of the night and worry – we will naturally seek Him.

Jesus captured this so well.  He was extremely busy with so many things, and yet we find Him deliberately pulling away at times to pray (Mark 1:35).  

At other times He would stop and abruptly pray right the middle of what He was doing (Luke 10:21).  He was dependent on His Father, which made it natural for Him to pray as needed.  This kind of prayer isn’t limited by time or place.  The right aptitude is not required for prayer, but the right attitude is. 

For most of my Christian life I have enjoyed the regular habit of prayer, but its only as I have aged that I have begun to experience this attitude of prayer.  

I am very aware of my desperate need for the Lord and His intervention and grace in my life.  Sometimes I think prayers to that end and often give voice to them as well.  And yet I still feel like I fall short when I hear my neighbor, “bray without ceasing.”

A PRAYER: Lord help me do what is important to You.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavnpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always.