05/26/2023
Am I praying continuously and without ceasing? How can I possibly do this with all of the happenings in my life every day? Yet this is precisely what Jesus is telling me to do and he never asks of me those things I am incapable of.
“pray without ceasing,”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV
If we are of the right mind spiritually and are living our lives within the will of God, then every event in our lives is performed with Him in mind. Prayer is communication with Jesus and God, and, in a life which is founded on our faith. This conversation is flowing at all times and in everything we do, say, or think. If our faith is as it should be, we will realize that we can't possibly separate ourselves from prayer.
There are children who threaten their parents in an attempt to get what they want. Some will hold their breath for example. These children will turn blue and pass out, but once they do, their body resumes breathing normally and they eventually reawaken. If you ignore this behavior the child will invariably see the futility in it. Breathing is the natural state of our bodies. Prayer is the natural state of our spirit and faith. Oswald Chambers realized this when he wrote these words...
"If we think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts, we think rightly. The blood flows ceaselessly, and breathing continues ceaselessly; we are not conscious of it, but it is always going on. We are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect joint with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is life." - Oswald Chambers
Breath is life, and prayer is life. In breathing we inhale and exhale air. In prayer we speak and are spoken to. We ask, and then we receive from God, and in our next exhaled breath we give thanks... then the process begins its never ending cycle again. It is as simple as that, and it goes on all day and night in everyone, because each of us possesses a spirit and a soul. The question isn’t whether we will pray, but if we will realize we are praying, and how we will consciously give utterance to it.
“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
We can hold our breath and refuse to consciously speak to God, but there will come a day when we can deny it no longer, and we will pass out or expire. On that day our prayer will begin again and what we inhale might very well be unpleasant. Our reawakened prayer might be as a result of a happening in our lives, or our death. But in that moment our breath will resume, and it will return us to Him as either a renewal of faith, or to receive His final judgement. Whichever way it is, we will speak with God again… we will breathe once more. So, don’t be a threatening child... don’t attempt to withhold your prayers from our heavenly father by refusing to consciously pray; because it is pointless, and we will most certainly speak, pray, and breathe again.
“Do not quench the Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:19 ESV
Fighting faith is as futile as fighting our own selves. Learning to live with our flesh and blood is much easier than trying to stop breathing or living in a constant state of spiritual depression, or denial. In our spiritual lives it is much easier, and more natural, to worship God and breathe in and out in prayer as we obey His will for us. Trying to disavow truth is fruitless, because truth is true, and it must always be... it is the breath of an unconscious mind.
So, to the faithful there is no excuse for not praying willingly without ceasing. We do it all the time and the closer to God that we get, the more regular and unlabored our breathing becomes. We breathe in “Yah”, and then out… “Weh”. All day long we pray this way with our breath calling out the covenant name of God… Yahweh.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the in and out of breath and the back and forth of prayer. I thank you for the conversation we have all day long and in everything we do together. Holy Father, I especially thank you for times like this one we are having now in which our conversation is conscious and our words are spoken aloud. I love knowing that even when I sleep you are there and our prayer continues, and I take comfort in knowing that as I go about my daily tasks I am constantly gauging my actions by what you would have me do. This is my unceasing prayer, and it isn't what I do... it is who I am. Father, I am your child; I am in Jesus just as He is in you. To deny you is to deny myself, just as denying my next breath denies my very life. Lord, you are my prayer, my breath, my life, my eternal truth, and I praise your Holy Name!
Rich Forbes