Pray Without Ceasing

1st Thessalonians 5:15-19, “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.”

There is not three more powerful words in all the inspired Word of God than: “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.” God wants us to pray continually, as things and people come to our remembrance. Carefully notice that God sandwiches praying continually, between two verses about rejoicing and being thankful in all things. These things all go hand in hand. The Christian who doesn't rejoice, who doesn't have a thankful heart of gratitude toward God, won't pray either! So always be thankful for God's blessings in your life. 

Always rejoice no matter what happens. PRAISE THE LORD ANYHOW!!! The Bible calls this a “sacrifice of praise.” Hebrews 13:15, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Anybody can praise God when things are going good; but it is a sacrifice to praise God when you just lost your job, your child died, you learned you have cancer, your wife divorced you, your husband ran off with another woman, you received an unexpected bill for thousands of dollars, et cetera. Brother Lester Roloff used to have a sign on his office desk that read: PRAISE GOD ANYHOW! That's exactly what it meant, offering up “a sacrifice of praise” to God when things go wrong! REJOICE ALWAYS, AND AGAIN, I SAY REJOICE!!!

“Prayer doesn't change things. That is wrong! Prayer touches God and then God changes things. The right type of prayer touches God.” —A quote from the awesome sermon, “PREACHING THE POWER OF PRAYER,” by Pastor Danny Castle

Some believers prefer to use prayer lists, which is fine. Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) encourages the use of prayer lists in his helpful book titled: “Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles.” The Bible does not mandate using prayer lists. It is optional. Dr. Hyles believed that Christians are less likely to pray as they ought, if they don't make a prayer list to follow. It is a personal preference. The important thing is to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.

I humbly believe there are a few reasons why God told us to “PRAY WITHOUT CEASING”: 

1. We're always thinking of people and situations, which necessitates praying as we think of them.
2. God wants us to live with a servant's heart, thinking of others (Philippians 2:3).
3. We should always depend upon the Lord, for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
4. Not praying is pride. God wants us to humble ourselves (James 4:6).
5. God loves us and always hears a righteous man's prayers (1st Peter 3:12).

The Bible calls prayer “labor” in Colossians 4:12. God has promised to “reward” every saint's individual labors (1st Corinthians 3:8). Prayer is one of the ways that a believer can lay up treasures for yourselves in Heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). So as we go about the routine of your day, let us remember to pray about the people and things that come to our mind. We should pray for our loved ones. Pray for our enemies. Pray for our pastors. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our ministries. Literally, the Holy Bible tells us to pray about “every thing” (Philippians 4:6). There is no power in prayer; but rather, God is all-powerful (omnipotent) and prayer is “asking” God for something. Prayer is not praise, thankfulness or worship; they are all different. Prayer must be asking God for something! Prayer is not preparation for the greater work, prayer is the greater work!