1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 tells us to pray constantly. After I read that, I had to re-read to see if there was any fine print that said, ideally you would pray constantly but pray when you get around to it. But, alas, there was no fine print and the verses just say to pray constantly.
As I have been moving through the motions of life God has been speaking at the most interesting times, while I am driving, in the shower, while listening to people talk. Lately, I have been convicted that the majority of my thoughts are not centered around our Jesus, I mean who has time???? I have to think about how bad of a season U of M is having this year in football, and who will the Detroit Tigers trade in the off season, and what to order from Taco Bell. I have a lot to think about and dwell on already without centering all my thoughts around Jesus!
But then I remember...pray continuously.
Often we have trouble getting in our morning quiet time and once that is done it is off to the races with the rest of our days and every so often we stop for a moment and think I love you Jesus. When we stop and think about it, we really do not give God much of our time and thoughts at all. Break it down even more...we do not give God, the One who created us and who knows the very number of hairs on our head, much more than a courtesy prayer as we eat our food or go to bed!
When we were instructed to pray continuously, it does not mean we have to be on bended knee all the time. It does mean that we can be in constant communication with God though. We can thank Him for waking up, for our hot showers, our flushing toilets, our food, the sunsets, and our beds. We can go to Him all day and tell Him we are frustrated and mad and sad and lonely. We can tell God jokes and ask for direction in our lives. If we were more aware of our surroundings and all that God has created, we could not help but to constantly be communicating to God in words of thanks and admiration for all He has done for us and created.
Oh how I want to strive to have my thoughts centered on Him constantly! I mean God is instructing us in this because He knows that it is for our best lives. Will you join me on this journey of going deeper with our Lord and striving to fill our days and nights with thoughts of Him? I believe as we focus more on God, that everything else will be at peace within our hearts, mind and souls. God wants us to have peace and He wants to know us. Lets begin the journey together...
Dear God,
I come before you right now with a heart full of adoration for all that you have created and done for me. Thank you for being patient with me as I continuously struggle. Help me to pray constantly. To thank you more, trust you more, talk to you more. Help me to stop focusing on myself, and focus on You. Please forgive me for all the times I have taken things for granted and help me to truly appreciate all that is in my life. Thank you for being a gracious God. Thank you for being a constant, unchanging, unmovable God.
Amen
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That's just it, our entire lives can be one long and endless prayer to God when we want them to be. When we use our lives to glorify God through all that we do in life it is just like praying to God constantly. God likes it when we continue to talk with him. Prayer is a powerful thing when coming from the heart.
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