WEEK 12:  DEVOTIONAL ON PRAYER
                      
“Pray continually.”  I Thessalonians 5:17

Prayer is not an event. Prayer is the ongoing communication between a person and the living and personal God. Prayer is much more than just offering petitions to God. In its pure essence, it is simply fellowship and intimacy with the living God. The word for pray used here is a general term, which can include all forms of communion. Prayer is much more than simply addressing God. Prayer is listening to God, communing with God, and consciously depending on God.

To pray continually speaks of intimacy with God. It is the moment by moment God-ward look. His constant presence in our lives opens up the way for constant communication with Him.  It is as natural as breathing for Paul and should not become foreign in the daily moments of our lives. To pray continually is to ask God to walk you through every moment of your life. To pray continually is to acknowledge our dependence on God and the utter dependability of God in all circumstances. To pray continually is to turn our thoughts away from ourselves and focus on the great God who has done so very much for us. Praying continually is the deliberate habit of lifting one’s heart to God.  
 
Moffatt translates this verse, “Never give up prayer”, focusing on the perseverance required in prayer. Paul expressed the same concept in his letter to Rome when He wrote, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”  Romans 12:12. Persevering in prayer is neither automatic nor easy, but it is necessary.  One person insightfully said, “Prayer is the gymnasium of the soul.” Without consistency in prayer, we are not ready to face the daily issues, challenges and opportunities of life.  To pray continually is to pray something through. To pray continually is to have a praying heart.  A yo-yo prayer life is foreign to the biblical concept of praying continually.

One of the enemies of the praying heart is guilt. Both false guilt and true guilt can get in the way of praying continually. This feeling of inadequacy or failure to measure up can become a replacement for making changes in our prayer life. Guilt can become an excuse and a substitute for change.  The call to pray continually calls for a lifestyle of prayer, not excuses. The call to pray continually is a call to action.  It is not some unreachable ideal, but rather a lifestyle to put into practice.