Spending Time in Prayer

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you find your every thought centered on something and you can’t shake it? I don’t mean the kind when a song gets stuck in your head for a few hours, but when there is a situation that seems to take all of your energy and you are focused on it almost constantly—a loss of a loved one, a friend in dire need of help, a sibling with a life threatening illness, a grandchild deployed to Iraq. This focus, this single minded attention seems to best fit our response to Paul’s challenge to the Thessalonians… pray without ceasing (1 Th 5:17).

When I was young in my faith, to pray without ceasing seemed an unusual thing. How can one possibly do that? How do you take care of kids, work a day job, as well as the other myriad of things a person needs to do and pray at the same time? Yet as life continued to unfold before me, I found myself being able to understand that prayer is not done only on one’s knees with hands folded and head bowed. Prayer can be in images, in thoughts while scrubbing the floor, painting, or driving to work. To pray without ceasing is more than our words. A big part of prayer includes listening to God, whether it is formal prayer, or readings you happen upon, songs that play a chord in your heart, or affirmations of a friend or spouse.

Did you know that the word “pray” is found 155 times in the bible? “Prayer” is an additional 147 times. There are so many… then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart (Luke 18:1)… now during those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).

Ultimately we find, however, that there are times when we have trouble praying—have trouble putting into words the yearnings of our hearts. Romans 8:26 reminds us that when we can’t seem to find the words to articulate our yearnings in prayer, the Spirit intercedes for us.

The Spirit helps us in our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

At times when our heart is heavy and our mind seems to be singly focused on a particular situation, we will find comfort in prayer that does not cease. The Holy Spirit abides with us in our thoughts and observations, leading us to a sense of comfort and peace. The Holy Spirit touches our very soul and reminds us that as followers of Jesus Christ we are never alone, never forgotten. We are beloved children of God! So in the midst of life’s difficulties, let us rejoice in the love and grace of God, our Heavenly Father, our Creator.

Yours in Christ,