“Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 KJV)
God, the recipient of our prayers, is always awake. Prayer is not restricted to specific times; it is something that can be done anywhere, anytime. Recent research has established that our mind is active even while we are sleeping, thus allowing us to be said to be praying “without ceasing”.
Recently, I had a virtual visit from my church’s visitation pastor. In her closing prayer with me, Barb prayed that I would be inspired to write another helpful devotional. The thought for this devotional came to me while I was sleeping, and when I awoke the next morning, several relevant thoughts came to me.
I remember asking a good friend at church how he was doing after his wife’s passing. He confided that he was having trouble sleeping, but cheerfully, Reg added that his times awake gave him more time to pray for his family and others.
Then, I saw two cherished photos on my desk. One was of my wife who blessed me with 60 happy years before she went to her reward. The other picture was one that she asked me to take in 1965 when our one-year-old son was kneeling beside his crib. With an arm around him, was his 6-year-old brother and on the other side, his 3-year-old sister saying their nightly prayers.
We often connect praying with closing our eyes or even kneeling, but over the years, I have often prayed with my eyes open while driving the car. Probably in Toronto’s traffic, it was a wise idea to keep my eyes open!
I have even found myself praying for the right answer when faced with a difficult question. It has been so when searching for a correct examination answer, but it has also been in trying to answer a challenging question when speaking to a large audience.
Soon after I moved into my present home, I was given the privilege of sharing with the residents my experiences distributing a Canadian-developed, computer-based reading program. At the end of the presentation, Elaine, a head-office senior executive, asked what I considered the most significant reason for success. I prayed hard for the right answer and quickly replied that I followed the advice on a wall-hanging that I inherited from my missionary grandmother. On it are just six letters: O T H E R S.
So, whether we are praying in the traditional way, or with our eyes wide open, or while speaking to someone, or while helping someone, or even while sleeping, I hope that we will all accept the command: “Pray without ceasing.”
Prayer: Dear Father, thank You for always being there for us. We realize that we are weak, but we are so thankful that You are strong. May we always try to share Your love by helping others. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Vincent Walter <vwalter@bell.net>
Toronto, Ontario, Canada