| In Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica, he exhorts them, and all us to “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Thess. 5: 16 – 18. Have you ever attempted to “pray continuously” or as another translation says, to pray without ceasing? If you have, you’ve most likely found, as I have, we can’t do it! Why then would God tell us to do something we can’t? Distractions are a part of our lives; phones ring, horns honk, babies cry. With dinner cooking and numerous other things going on at one time, how can we concentrate on this spiritual task we’ve been given? In Deuteronomy 4:7, Moses stated, “Our God is near us, whenever we pray.” If we have the presence of El Shaddai, the Almighty God near us, surely we can accomplish, through His Spirit, all that He’s called us to do. Romans 8:26 says when we don’t know what to pray – the Holy Spirit prays for us and through us. We breathe, see around us, hear noises, and yet, still function to a relatively full capacity! We think, (at least most of us) on a continual basis – we’ve become so accustomed to many things we do and do them without even realizing we are. Even when we sleep, our mind is at work, resulting in dreams. If we can go through our day thinking, why couldn’t we train ourselves to be prayerful all our working hours? Studies show that performing the same function for 28 days will form a habit. Why not try praying in our mind for a period of time daily, as we go about our normal activities. Once we have accomplished this – stretch the time longer, and so on. When we fail, and we will, start again and remember praying in the Spirit is allowing God’s Spirit to pray through us. Let us try to remain in an attitude of prayer and the next time you’re distracted – don’t give up – pray about it!
“Come near to God and He will come near to you…”James 4: 8A. So, when you realize you can’t, remember He can!
Rev. Larry Sassmann |
ccmcnj.org 