Prayer and Praying (4)

"pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV)

This is a command not an advice; it is a charge about which the believer does not have a choice. It must be done without negotiation or laxity.

It's good to attend prayer meetings; and private prayer must be constant; yet the believer wouldn't be heeding the command to pray without ceasing if that is all he does. Prayer should not just be restricted to a place or a time, it must be anywhere and anytime.

Having said earlier that prayer is not a weapon of malice, I wish to reiterate that prayer is primarily a devotional exercise in which the heart is brought into deep communication with God. 

Praying without ceasing does not mean praying all through the year 24 hours round the clock without stopping. It means that you must be found praying everytime your mind and hands not fully engaged, viz., you can't be writing exams or be receiving lectures and still be praying with concentration at the same time. The whole idea is to be given over to prayer to the extent that you almost see every other activity as secondary and even as distraction. 

There are some level of spiritual experiences that will continue to elude you until you learn to pray without ceasing; it can't be imparted, it can only be learnt over time, and the learning is by 'practice'. Praying without ceasing must be practiced until it becomes an habit ...this is how to enjoy the Christian life, it enhances sensitivity of heart and makes the heart ready for the Lord's service. 

Constant praying is a necessity, it's so vital that nothing can supply its want. One of  the greatest hindrance to the Lord's work today is the bunch of believers who are found wanting in place of prayers - a prayerless man is an hindrance or the work of God. There are ministers who will be occupied with carnal affairs of this life almost throughout the day and when it  remains a short time to minister, they take a hasty glance through the Bible and say few words in prayer. They thus come to minister and people are not blessed because their hearts are far from God. 

I charge to pray at all times and in all places; pray in the at home, pray at work, pray while in transit, pray while driving, pray in all circumstances; pray, Pray, pray!