Many little children think it is “pray without seasoning”. Children are amazing!
Talking to God is something to enjoy, something to eagerly and readily do.
Thank you so much for coming here to read from me. Our topic today will bless not just your mind but your spirit also. I believe that grace will be given to you as you gain understanding of this by the help of the Holy Spirit who gives you understanding.
“Pray without ceasing” is not a strange expression to us. We hear it used most often when being encouraged to pray. Today is not just to encourage you to pray but to encourage you to pray without ceasing by understanding what the expression actually means.
Interlude: while I typed the above paragraph, I said to myself that I had not bothered checking some commentaries on 1 Thessalonians 5:17 before embarking on this post and so I decided to take a pause to check and the first commentary bible I checked highlighted the exact truth I want to share with you and in the order I want to pass it to you… Lol… Amazing!!! I’m excited . The only difference is that I have two scriptures I want to use for my explanation.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
“Pray without ceasing.”
To really understand what praying without ceasing is, we must look at some scriptures but I’ll use two. Before that, I want to state that praying without ceasing is not when you keep muttering words of prayer while walking on the road, while in the toilet, while doing your laundry, in fact some refuse to answer the “Holla” of their neighbors when passing because they claim they are praying without ceasing.
I’ve caught my mind on many occasions accusing myself for just sitting and doing office work without muttering words of prayer and the instigator of this accusation is the misunderstanding of that expression.
Again, let me make it clear to you that the expression “Pray without ceasing” is not a command to pray round the clock.
I, personally, believe that Jesus was the first to teach us to pray without ceasing but He didn’t use those exact words. However, in His words, we can gain insight to what Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonian Church means. Let’s take a look – Pay attention to the bold words.
Luke 18:1-8 (KJV)
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
Sadly, there was a dark time in Nigeria last year October (2020). It is easily remembered as #ENDSARS. I’m not going into the detail of what happened, I just want to bring out something I am certain broke the heart of God. I may not have as much understanding as other believers but on this matter, I am convinced the Lord was grieved. During this sad period, I heard Christians, I heard men of God say “We have prayed enough“… Wait…what!!?? Hold on, please let’s read the parable of Jesus and His sole purpose for that parable again… Please do… So, indirectly, what these people said was “Guys, don’t mind Jesus. Yes, He’s our Lord but on this matter, He has no idea what He’s saying, has He ever been to Nigeria? Has He ever been harassed by SARS? so you see, He has no idea what we have gone through. We have prayed enough“… Do you see that? I don’t want to even begin to speak about those that decided to pray on the street.
So Jesus was saying that praying without ceasing is to not give up on praying for a particular matter and turning to the arm of flesh and the wisdom of man which most times gives us result but to our destruction. Jesus was teaching you here that if your heart is indicting a good matter, a righteous matter, petition God on that matter, with thanksgiving, until He does it. Is your heart indicting justice, petition God for it, though it tarries (it mentions it tarrying in our passage above) , you keep petitioning God for His judgement until He performs it. You see in His word, an expectation to be a lover of righteousness, you petition God until it is done in your life. Jesus prayed three times in the garden until He had aligned with that will of carrying the sins of the world and dying by crucifixion for the sins of the world He was carrying… He petitioned God for grace, He prayed with all kinds of prayer… He kept going back to pray. This is praying without ceasing!
Praying without ceasing is that you keep going back because you know that faithful is He who has said it, He will bring it to pass. You keep going back because you know that He is good and just, you keep going back because you know that HE IS and is a rewarder of they that diligently seek Him. Listen, no matter how many words of prayer you mutter in a day, if your faith is not stayed on Him, you’ve ceased in your prayer. You may even keep muttering words of prayer while walking the path of the arm of flesh… Like some did during the #ENDSARS period… This is not my opinion, this is the word of God.
Has the Lord stirred up a desire in your heart? Is there a righteous expectation burning within you? Is there confusion and uncertainty in your soul as touching a matter, Adelphoi, don’t stop talking to God about it until He, firstly, fills you with the knowledge of His will as regards that matter and secondly, fulfils it. Don’t think you can get the answer someway else. Any other way is cursed and will bring destruction!
I planned to finish the two points today but I think today’s post is long enough so let’s continue next week. God bless you and give great grace to you. Amen
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Ancient Word 
