Praying Always

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The Desert Fathers, Christian Monks who lived in the desert in the first few centuries after Jesus, have a lot to teach about prayer. They devoted their whole lives to solitude, simplicity and prayer. My favorite saying is this: "ceaseless prayer soon heals the mind." 

Oftentimes, when I read the invitation in 1 Thessalonians 5 to pray continually I am overwhelmed and feel like I failed even before I started. Clearly, I am missing something. That's why I love the Desert Father's saying so much. For the invitation to ceaseless prayer is an invitation to healing. It is an invitation to live one's entire life in God's presence, as a conversation with God.

In Philippians, Paul urges the Philippians to pray continually and always give thanks. He gives us
a clue of what ceaseless prayer looks like: "if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise” (verse 8).  We pray without ceasing when we fix our minds on the things of Christ, when we meditate on all that is good and all that is God at work in the world.  When we look for God at work even in the most difficult of situations.  When we rest in God’s presence even as we are busy with life’s demands and obligations.  And this is how ceaseless prayer heals the mind.  Because it changes how we see the world.  It teaches us to look for God everywhere. 

To practice praying continually, consider making a list of those things in your life that are excellent, admirable, true, holy, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.  Keep this list nearby so that you can direct your thoughts to it several times a day.  Use this as a spring board to be in constant conversation with God, to be constantly aware that you are in God’s presence at all times in all places.  May we find healing and wholeness for our weary minds and souls in this practice of ceaseless prayer.

~ Laura Johnson