Pray Without Ceasing

 

 

To pray without ceasing

Is not to prattle on as with a friend,

It is not with bowed head and closed eyes

And beautiful words without end.

 

It is not about a daily ritual

With our raised hands as in church,

It is not the prayer warriors or intercessors

Or whatever you call prayer experts.

 

It is not the head-covered old saint

With either mantilla or hat

Or the ardent prayer with fasting believer

With their portable praying mats.

 

To pray without ceasing

Has nothing to do with any of these,

It is not even the praying position

Or the time we spend on our knees.

 

None of the above is wrong

But still is not praying without ceasing,

Prayer is really from the heart

Be it thanksgiving or interceding.

 

So, what is praying without ceasing?

It is really an attitude:

A God-consciousness and surrender-

It is not about aptitude.

 

 

It is a daily walk in the Spirit

With God the Father and the Son,

It is inwardly praying and trusting

Regardless of how the day may run.

 

The Trinity indwells the believer,

The believer that is born again

And our spirit communes with God’s Spirit

Keeping us in the praying vein.

 

Prayer for the saved is like breathing

It keeps us spiritually alive

And coupled with the eating of the Word

The believer is destined to thrive.

 

So that rather than being anxious

We should prayerfully trust our God

And the prayer that is without ceasing

Will keep our spirits buoyed.

 

That is, not sinking in deep depression

When battling the storms of life

But floating above the uncertainty

That attends this earthly strife.

 

 

Prayer is our built-in weapon

That speaks to an unceasing trust

That come what may in life’s sojourn

Faith is the stance of the just.

 

We do not have to think to breathe

For breathing is automatic,

In the same way so is unceasing prayer

That for the believer becomes a habit.

 

The yearning heart of a believer

Is in fact unceasing prayer

Particularly as it pertains to the things of God

And our daily fret and care.

 

The longing to see others come to Christ

This too is unceasing prayer,

And when such a prayer is in our hearts

This reminds us the Saviour is here.

 

For oft we pray as though he is far

And can’t quite hear what we say

But we know for a fact this is not so

For he is just a prayer away.

 

Stewart Russell © January 30, 2021