Paul closes out his first letter to the Thessalonian church with a list of instructions. One of the things he admonishes them to do is to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Those three words can make us nervous when we think about spending every waking moment audibly praying. However, that’s not what Paul is commanding the New Testament church to do. Praying without ceasing is more about having our heart in a position to be in a constant communication with God than it is about talking to God with our mouths 24/7.
Martin Luther, one of the most famous theologians to ever live put it this way:
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
The concept of prayer should be as natural to children of God as breathing is to everyone. That’s what Paul was saying when he discussed praying without ceasing. Having a consistent prayer life allows us to live in a way that is pleasing to God while constantly being open to hearing from Him and discovering His divine plan for our life.
What is Inconsistent Prayer?
Many Christians have the wrong idea about prayer. We know that we can go to God during times of duress. In fact, we are told to “cast all of our cares on Him, because He cares for us” (1 Pet 5:7). However, times of duress shouldn’t be the only time that we communicate with God.
To put things in a more practical sense, you probably only visit an ATM when you need to tap into the cash that’s in your account. You don’t go the ATM “just because;” it is nothing more than a means to an end. Many people view prayer very similarly to how they view an ATM. They can go days or weeks at a time without really praying, but when they find themselves in a time of need, they turn to prayer.
In all of God’s infinite grace and mercy, He hears those prayers. He doesn’t ignore His people based on how often they pray. However, an inconsistent, infrequent prayer life deprives us of the blessings that God has for us. Will God listen to the person who only prays in times of need? Yes! 1 Peter 3:12 says that “God’s eyes are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer.” But to truly tap into everything that God has for us, a consistent prayer life is a necessity.
What is Consistent Prayer? While inconsistent prayer looks like giving God our wish list, consistent prayer is much more about conversing with the Creator. It’s both humbling and mind blowing to know that the God of all Creation wants to be in constant communication with us. But God’s desire is to be involved in every aspect of your day. Consistent prayer is a way of inviting Him to do just that.
Jesus was so passionate about consistent prayer that He took the time to discuss it during His Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6:6 (ESV)
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Obviously, you can’t spend your entire day locked up in a room talking to God. However, Jesus does instruct us to clear out some time during the day where we go into a quiet place, shut out the world and spend time in prayer. Jesus’ instruction to “shut the door” indicates that He wants us to spend at least part of our day solely focused on prayer.
Our lives are full of distractions. Depending on your own list of responsibilities, you may have work obligations, children to take care of, perhaps an elderly loved one that you care for or any number of other responsibilities. It may seem impossible to carve out time every day to pray, but it’s a vital part of the Christian life.
Think of consistent prayer like going to the gym. You don’t get into shape by stopping at the gym once every month or so. Even though it’s better than nothing, you probably won’t get into great shape. Getting into better spiritual condition involves spending some time every day in prayer. It doesn’t have to involve hours kneeling beside your bed, but there should be a block of time every day where you lay down your cell phone, turn off the TV, block out the world and earnestly seek the presence of God.
Benefits of Consistent Prayer
According to a recent study published by the American Psychiatric Association, 62% of Americans report that they feel more anxious than they did approximately a year ago. It’s not hard to understand why that’s the case. We live in a time of great unrest. Whether it’s due to health concerns, economic concerns or political unrest, we live in troubling times. Consistent prayer allows us to cast those anxieties towards God, who is more than capable of handling all of them. In another letter to a New Testament church, Paul once again discussed the importance of prayer:
Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Paul draws a direct correlation between anxiety and prayer. While things that make us anxious are still going to happen, when we handle everything by “prayer and supplication,” we are able to suppress that anxiety and experience less anxiety.
Prayer also allows us to take time to focus on what God has done in our past. Throughout several of the Psalms, David asks God to do something miraculous in his life. However, he also spends time recounting miraculous works that God has already performed. When we treat prayer as a form of worship, we are able to focus on what God has already done. Doing so stirs up the faith inside us and allows us to feel even more comfortable with committing what we’re facing at the time to God. When we rest in God’s capabilities, we don’t have to feel as anxious about the things that have been robbing us of our peace of mind.
Finally, prayer changes things! There is no way to recount every example in the Bible of God’s people asking Him to do something and seeing their situations change. However, there is one powerful example of God doing what seems to be impossible found in the Book of Joshua.
In Joshua 10, we read about Joshua leading the Israelites into another battle, and while they were winning, the sun began to go down. Joshua didn’t want to lose the momentum that his army had built, but he needed more daylight to finish the battle. In Joshua 10:12, Joshua asks God to make the sun stand still, and He miraculously did it!
Joshua 10:13 (ESV)
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Joshua was a man of consistent prayer, which meant he had no qualms of asking God for something that seemed absolutely impossible. However, since prayer changes things, the sun didn’t set until God’s people had won the battle.
Being consistent in prayer produces results. God is always eager to listen to the prayers of His people, and as we get more consistent in our prayer life, we become even more comfortable asking God to do what seems impossible. If you don’t already have a consistent prayer life, ask God to help you make it a part of your daily routine.
A closing prayer:
God, I want to be more in tune with you. I want to spend time every day talking to You and hearing back from You. You know how busy and chaotic my life can be, but You still want me to carve out time to spend with You. Help me to recognize opportunities that I have during my day to spend time in prayer. I’ve been guilty of saying that I don’t have time to shut the door and pray, but Lord, I don’t have time NOT to spend time in prayer. Help me, O Lord to get more consistent in my prayer life so I can walk in the fullness of everything that You have for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen!