Welcome, if you've stopped by after reading my devotion on this published today. Follow that link to read it if you missed it. Then feel free to leave a prayer request in the comments on this post. You know that I will pray for you. In fact, I already have prayed for each person that pauses here today.
In the devotion I talked about one of the realizations that makes the Christan's call to prayer less guilt-producing for me - less like a chore I forget to do or don't do well enough. It's the fact that I don't have to set aside large blocks of time to pray to be effective in prayer.
I can pray without ceasing as the biblical phrase goes.
What does that mean? I can pray as I go.
Here's my take on it, heavily influenced by John Piper.
What does it mean to pray without ceasing?
1) It means that there is a spirit of dependence that should permeate all we do. So, even when we are not speaking consciously to God, there is a deep, abiding dependence on him that is woven into the heart of faith. In that sense, we "pray" or have the spirit of prayer continuously.
2) Praying without ceasing means praying often. The word for "without ceasing" is "adialeiptos" and it is used other places like like Romans 1:9 when Paul said he prays for the Romans unceasingly. Surely Paul did not mention the Romans every minute of his prayers. Surely he prayed about other things. So "without ceasing" doesn't mean that verbally or mentally we have to be speaking prayers every minute of the day, but that we should pray often.
Again, not necessarily for a singular long period of time, but often throughout the day.
3) I also think praying without ceasing means not giving up on prayer. We should persevere in our prayers. Don't get to a point in your life where you cease to pray at all. Don't abandon the God of hope for whom anything is possible!
One of the fascinating things author John Piper has said is, "The key to delight is prayer. Or, more accurately, the key to delight is God's omnipotent, transforming grace laid hold on by prayer."
So, I'd be delighted to pray for you today.
Thank you for today's devotion, hit the nail on the head. God nudged me awake earlier than normal this mmorning to spend time with him and sadly it's been way too long since I've done that. Please pray today that my JOY returns, I am a stay-at-home mom to four 8 and under and have lost my joy.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Today's devotion was an encouragement to me-thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am having surgery this Friday & am a bit concerned about recovery period as I have two little boys & a husband & home to care for. My husband has been incredibly supportive so for this I thankful. Also, I am ill right now & I need to recover before the surgery. Thank you for praying & may God bless you.
~Blessings~
Rachel, you don't know how this blessed me. I'd been beating myself up lately for not spending what I thought was "enough" time in prayer each morning. During my day I will pray for people/situations as they come to mind, but guilt told me that wasn't sufficient.
ReplyDeleteGod always knows exactly what we need, and today He answered me in your devotional.
Thank you, and have a blessed and prosperous day!
Thank you so much for this today...the truth is I stayed up most of last night in prayer. I am sure that as the hours went on my prayers weren't even making logical sense. I am on the brink of separation/divorce. I have been trying to hold it together for years now and it looks like I am not winning this fight. Being married to an unbeliever is very hard, but I have always trusted my heavenly father to take care of me. Last night I cried on his shoulder for hours and I wasn't even sure what to pray for. After reading this I am reminded that He knows my heart and needs long before they come out of my mouth. Good thing!!! Please take a moment to pray for me today. I have been following your blog for awhile now and left a comment or two, (mostly about my obsession with Wilmington lol) and although I know we have never met, I trust that as a sister in Christ you will pray, and I appreciate that more than you can imagine. Thank you so much for your timely devotional. I pray you have a truly blessed day!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Angel
Rachel, I need to pray everyday, all day. Thank you for reminding me of that. I need to learn forgiveness. I want to be able to forgive myself and those who have betrayed and hurt me. I pay everyday for this. I feel so lost right now. And I want to feel peace and happiness again
ReplyDeleteWow, what a powerful lesson. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteI am a nurse who was recently laid off and I am now looking for a new job. I would appreciate it if you would pray for me that God will open a new door for me to a position that maximizes my talents and glorifies Him.
ReplyDeleteThank you,
Angela
Please pray for my heart. I have found myself on a constant roller coaster for about two months now. I am either on a mountaintop, or in a pit. Nothing is steady. I am free, or entangled in sin. Please pray that I would not give in to temptation, but would flee from sin and use Scripture to disprove the lies that Satan tries to implant in my mind. Please pray that I would surrender all, and that I would be still in His presence and allow my God to fight for me.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post today. I have been working on this for a few months now, trying to pray often during the day. I have a prayer request for a friend. A gentleman I work with was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. he is young, in his 30's, with a family. They caught it early by accident. I don't know if he is a believer. Please pray that he will be healed and that God will get the glory. I don't know if he is a believer but he knows people are praying for him. This man is also my son's boss. I have known others who have faced illness but this time it's really heavy on my heart. His name is Mike. Thank you for your prayers and thank you for your blog.
ReplyDeleteRachel, thank you for praying for me today. I pray that you continue to touch people's hearts with your words and insight. Also, please pray for my husband who was just diagnosed with cancer. He will be undergoing additional tests this week to determine what stage the cancer is in and we have prayed - and will continue to pray unceasingly - that it is in the early stage and can be managed with treatments. Thank you and thanks to our Lord who has given us life abundant!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your words and for praying for me. I feel as if I'm on a merry-go-round that is spinning faster and faster and I can't get off or slow it down. I have to make a big decision today about a job and am trying to make everything else turn out how *I* want it. I need to keep the faith and make the one decision I can and then trust that God will take care of the rest. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteRachel thank you for this better understanding of the verse "Pray without ceasing". I would appreciate it if you would pray for my Mom & my son. My Mom is very sick & is having surgery on Nov. 11th & I have an unspoken request for my son.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Janet W.
What a pleasant reminder that those moments when I exhale a prayer or breathe in a praise of refreshment it is in essence a prayer.It is so true that HIS thoughts are higher than mine! I am humbled for the opportunity to ask that you agree with me in prayer for God's divine intervention and favor this coming Friday when it will be determined if I am eligible for unemployment benefits. I have been blessed to work full-time for the last 23 years of my life. Recently, I have had a string of unfortunate events, including being dismissed from my employment. I trust and believe God has a plan ... a plan for me to prosper and not to be harmed. Praise Jesus!!!
ReplyDeletePlease pray that the anger in my daughter's heart will be replaced with God's peace, love, and joy.
ReplyDeleteAmen to today's devotion. I needed to hear this today because I find myself frequesntly repeating those same words.
ReplyDeleteI will ensure that today and in the future I will PRAY in the moment instead of SAY in the moment that I will pray later.
God brings things together in their right time and this was the right time for me to hear this word.
Thank you and many blessings to you!
~Michele Campbell~
Please pray for my daughter Jaimey, that she will return to us safely and with a desire to change her life, and that God will guide her closer to him. That he will allow her to feel his love and his compasion over all others. Pray that God will drive satan's temptations far away from her. Pray for my husband and I as we enact some 'tough love' over these next weeks/months and that God will guide our actions and words and that he will comfort our hearts. I know with him all things are possible. Thank you Rachel for sharing your thoughts and your experiences with us each and every day. God allows your works to truly give me encouragement and uplift my soul and for that I am truly thankful.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel thank you for today's devotion. It hit the nail on the head for me. I used to think that you had to pray with big words and it had be lengthy as I had heard other people praying but I now know that it is the faith and the serenity of the prayer that touches and moves god not big repetitive words. Please pray for me for financial breakthrough, which my ex husband has left on me. Thank you Doreen
ReplyDeleteBoy, did you get it right today. I do tell people I will Pray for them, then the "Day" gets in the way. I'm definitely going to follow your example and pray for them at the time of their request. Long Prayers, yes, all the time. I am going to focus on shorter Prayers more often during the day. Please pray for me, for I am still searching and seeking God's will in my life as a newly single Christian lady.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your insights about prayer. I really like the idea of praying and saying "I prayed for you" instead of saying I will pray for you.
ReplyDeleteMy prayer request is that I will be filled with God's love for me instead of my mom's rejection. Thank you for your prayers.
Thank you for today's encouragement and the offer to pray for me. In fact, I would ask that you pray for my daughter Breanna who has recently moved away and is struggling with her Faith and her finances. I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteHave a great prayer filled day today.
Lina
One of my favorite verses...I can't remember what version but: Always be joyful, continually be prayerful, in everything be thankful...1 Thes 5:15-17 My Dad is recovering from open heart surgery...he is just not regaining his strenght back..He is staying with us for the time...
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, I needed it. I have been and a wait till later person, that never gets to it, waiting expectantly in faith that God is changing me.
ReplyDeleteAs I read it, this verse also came to mind:
Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing INSTANT in prayer;
In His Love,
Hope
I have always believed in my heart that the meaning of 'praying with out ceasing' is just how you explained it! You can pray for my daughter who will have her baby this week...she is a paraplegic. All went well with her last baby and we pray it is the same this time. Thanks, Rachel. (if you want to know how it goes, check my blog....or keep you ear to the wind, you will hear the cheers for sure!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this devotional. I have learned over the past several months that prayer and closeness with the Lord is so important. I just praise Him for all He is and all the mountains he is moving in my life- the seen & unseen ones. I just pray for my husband who left our family a few months ago. I pray God touches his heart today & turns his heart of stone to a heart of flesh. The restoration God has in store for my marriage will be one built on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. God is so good. Lord thank you for using this time to mold & shape me into the wife, mother, child of God you made me to be- please continue that in my life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this devotion. A close friend has left our family and I very much would like them back in our family. Please pray that all hearts involved will have forgiveness and loved for each other and a desire to be reunited. I have prayed for all your requests. Much love.
ReplyDeleteThank you God knows the desires of our hearts! Your devotion was so right on! I ask for prayer for my daughters that they would be set free from alcohol in Jesus name.
ReplyDeleteexactly how I pray. If someone is brought to mind, I pray for them right then and later I find out that's exactly when they needed it.
ReplyDeleteDear Rachel, thanks for writing this. When I saw the title, I actually immediately felt guilty - until I read the article...
ReplyDeleteplease pray for me... I need a steady walk, a closer relationship with Christ... and I need to cut out a lot of garbage in my life, like in things I watch on tv etc, ..I don't know how to explain it, but I need help with my heart and mind, to be pure. I'm not being very succinct in my request but any prayers you lift up for me would be appreciated.. thank you!
Thank you for the words of encouragement in today's devotion. On time, indeed. Thank you for your prayer that you already prayed. My prayer request: restoration of my prayer life..stable and unceasing. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteToday's devotion was one I truly needed.
ReplyDeleteIt's the first time I have subscribed to your daily devotionals and it actually provides a much needed relief.
I've been asking very close friends and family for their prayers, as I've been going through a difficult time for the past 2 months with pent-up repressed feelings - from finally taking the necessary steps to remove myself emotionally and mentally from my ex-boyfriend, from former friends; as well as other family issues that are ongoing. As a result, I've been suffering from anxiety attacks, loss of appetite, frequent headaches, sleepless nights and overall - I've been feeling like I've been walking in a dark tunnel for so long.
From reading today's devotion, it made me truly realize that I didn't need to do a "laundry list" for a prayer to God; that He'll listen to me regardless.
I ask if you can pray for me; that I will always find a way to keep my faith strong in God and know that He will hold my hand and guide me through my tempered waters and dark moments.
God bless you.
Thank you Rachel, I really needed this devotion today. It seems that I have been experiencing a battle just to pray. I am also one that tells someone that I will pray for them and then forget to do that. Then comes the guilt. I have been feeling like a such a failure and even questioning what is wrong with me. Your devotion gave me the answer to my own prayer. Please pray for me that I will take your advise and stop feeling so guilty. I know that God Loves me and He will keep me close to Him.
ReplyDeletePlease pray for my daughter as she prepares to take a big test next week. Prayer that she has peace and wisdom and most of all passing the test.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest son needs prayer for friends - especially Christian Friends.