“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV
In the olden days, to pray without ceasing is a bit achievable but in this age, as each day comes, it seems impossible. With the coming of social media, everybody is busy doing one thing or the other online and there is little or no time left for prayer.
Although, we do pray especially when we are in deep trouble but God’s idea of prayer is not to be a bail out in times of trouble but to be a lifestyle.
Here’s the good news. Not only is it possible to pray without ceasing, but it’s possible to do so without making any significant changes to your schedule or time commitments. It’s all about shifting your thought process and turning everyday moments into prayer. Think of how you keep the radio playing in the background while you go on with your day to day activities. Likewise, you need to learn how to keep the connection of prayer open and talk to God as you go through your day.
Here are nine ways to pray without ceasing:
- Begin with gratitude.
Psalm 100:4 says “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
In other words, start by telling God what you’re thankful for. Prayer doesn’t have to be asking for something; it can simply be thanking Him from your heart for what He has already done.
Like I always say, prayer goes beyond asking or requesting but communicating (fellowship and communion with God). God has blessed you so much that if you begin to thank God for all His blessings from morning to evening you can’t exhaust it.
Have you ever think why the book of psalm is majorly written by King David? The writings in psalm communicated the deep thoughts of David about the faithfulness of God in His life.
When was the last time you took time to think about God’s faithfulness in your life? When was the last time you unconsciously offer songs of praise to God due to your meditation on His faithfulness? Learn to think and you will thankful.
2. Get real.
If prayer had to be a stiff, formal language—“our most holy and mighty God, we beseech ye…”—first of all, boredom will set in within minutes and we will exhaust all we have to say most of the time. Secondly, we would find it hard to keep that up for an extended period of time.
But prayer is simply a conversation. Talk to Him the way you would talk to a friend. Sit down with a cup of coffee and just let the words pour out. Lay down on your bed, listening to songs and let the gist begin. The same way you can’t go along with your friends even when you are online chatting, you can do that with God. Don’t be too formal with prayer.
Prayer is sacred but it should be done with simplicity of heart….do it casually, simply. Just be real.
3. Incorporate prayer into everyday Activities.
Prayer is divine yet it’s done by human. Therefore it is wise to incorporate prayer into your activities. Don’t separate humanly activities from prayer. Let your everyday tasks become acts of worship by turning them into times of prayer.
As you fold laundry, pray for each family member. As you go to school/work pray on the walk way and pray in the bus/aircraft.
Depending on how tedious your work is, you can also pray while working on the system. You can pray at intervals during breaks or those times you are in the toilet to ease yourself (you can pray as you do your thing).
Note: when you don’t treat prayer as official at all time and not as a means of request but communion then you will become comfortable to communicate with God anywhere at any time. What do you think of just saying “thank you Jesus I’m at work safely”, “lord give me grace to finish this work on time” or simply give thanks for the warmth of the home where you relax in those pajamas…as simple and casual as it seems they are words of prayer, that help you stay in contact with your God even with your busy schedule.
4. Tell Him what He already knows.
Of a truth, God already knows what is in our hearts but when we offer our thoughts to him in prayer, it turns what might be a solitary life into a richer, more meaningful relationship.
God is not an emergency agent; you call on when you are in trouble. He want to be carried along (even though He knew). He wants you to tell Him, how your boss was hard on you today. He want to hear you sit and say God I’m tired of what is happening, I just got sacked. He wants you to tell Him things that are happening in your life. That’s friendship.
As a matter of fact, I talk about everything with Him even before I inform any human, it’s God first. Holy Spirit is my gisting partner.
Have come to know that most times, no matter how painful the matter may be, after talking to Him, I don’t see a need to talk to anybody else.
You will agree with me that the same friends you confide in today will be the one that will use that same information against you tomorrow. Sometimes, these people have no solution to what’s going on…why don’t you talk it out with God.
5. Pray while you wait.
Most of us waste a lot of time while we wait in the traffic before you get home or work. Turn your car into a prayer closet, or let your mind take you someplace else while the person in line ahead of you buys her drink .
Transform that “wasted” time into something meaningful—pray for the people you expect to encounter that day or the tasks you need to accomplish. Count your blessings—because they’re everywhere—and make those minutes count.
6. Sing a song of praise.
“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise” (James 5:13).
Often, we think of prayer as what to do when we need God to fix something or when we’re unhappy. But the Bible encourages us to pray at all times. Remember the idea of prayer being like a radio playing in the background all the time? Make that literal by listening to worship music. As you sing along, offer it to God as your prayer. Or, better yet, make up your own song along the way. Nobody is listening but Him, so don’t worry if you’re out of tune (I do most of the time).
7. When you mess up, admit it.
As a believer you can fall into error as you journey into perfection in Christ (God forbid) but when you do, please admit it and seek reconciliation back to your state. Let every prayer request be on hold and give yourself to clear this baggage. I don’t know about you, but I could spend most of my praying prayer time simply confessing a litany of my sins and failings: maybe I just sensed pride in the way I acted or talk or jealousy or hatred and so on. The good news is when we confess and genuinely repent; God forgives us, so we don’t need to dwell there. That in itself is another reason to praise Him.
8. Give up worrying.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
We’re not meant to worry, and we waste too many minutes doing just that. Next time something weighs heavy on your heart, envision yourself extending it up to God and letting Him hold it for you. Ask Him what your role is and if there is something you need to do; if so, do it. But don’t take back the weight of the worry. Then start thanking God for who He is and what He has already done for you, and you’ll feel the weight lifting off your shoulders as the words come.
Worry will kill your prayer life, you must beware of it.
9. Stop talking once in awhile. Instead, just listen.
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7).
The number (or quality) of words you use in prayer doesn’t matter, because prayer is about God, not about us. Allow yourself to contemplate the nearness of God. Trust that He is your constant companion. Don’t monopolize the dialogue, but spend some of your time just being, simply sitting and resting in His presence. And keep in mind that the best conversations are two-sided, but you won’t hear anything if you never stop to listen.