So.... I had a thought. When I was a preschooler, I remember moaning to my older siblings, “I can’t wait until I can read.” One of my older sisters said in typical older sibling air, “Oh, but once you can read, you read everything...” and you know what? She was right! When words come before my eyes, I read them. I don’t have to think about it or gear up to sound out the letters. I just read them. That truth made me think about the instruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to, “pray without ceasing.” How do we carry on a continuous conversation with God? It’s really much the same way we unconsciously read everything that comes before our eyes! But it doesn’t start there. It starts with methodical and sometimes challenging effort to pray and reminding ourselves continually to keep praying. In much the same way that learning to read began with sounding out words and it was hard to do and we had to keep pushing ourselves (or having someone else push us) to keep trying to read each page and each book that we came across - in that same way, learning to pray without ceasing starts with concerted effort and determination to practice! But eventually, with practice, praying without ceasing can become second nature to us, just as reading did. It often helps, if possible, to pray out loud. Whether you’re in the car or you’re around the house, just open your mouth and talk to the Lord about what is on your mind. Don’t harbor it in your heart; let the words come out. This helps to keep our mind focused so that it’s not constantly wandering to other things when we’re trying to talk to the Lord. You could also pray silently, of course. Wherever you are, share with the Lord what is on your mind, what’s on your heart, and listen for how he may be speaking or directing you. Now, there is a difference between praying continually and praying in deep, planned times of prayer. And we can’t have one without the other. If we try to have times of prayer that are deep without having a continual connection, those times of deep prayer will feel like strangers talking. And if we only partake of continual prayer without the commitment to also have deep and planned times of prayer, we never have the opportunity to go deep with the Lord or for the Lord to go deep with us. Many people have given up on the concept of praying without ceasing thinking it’s just not possible, but it is attainable. It is something all of us can and need to practice and then to flow in in our lives. God can handle and wants to hear about every part of your life! And we desperately need to share it with Him, whether we realize it or not. I’m reminded of the beautiful hymn by Joseph Scriven: “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” His lyrics rightly say, “Oh, what peace we often forfeit //
Oh, what needless pain we bear //
All because we do not carry //
Everything to God in prayer.” Carry everything to God in prayer and watch as the Lord stoops to lighten your burden and care for you.