If you were not at the Day With God we had here at the church, you missed something special! (Don’t worry; I fully believe we’ll have more. Set an intention now to join us next time we do!) God’s presence could be felt throughout the building. And it was such an encouragement to see so many people–so many of our family of believers–pressing in and seeking God together. There is power in praying together. Jesus himself said, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:18-20).
Obviously, we know that is not a carte blanche statement; we still have to be praying and agreeing according to God’s will (see 1 John 5:14-15 & James 4:3). But when our prayers are aligned with God’s will, we have the promise that He will do it! This is our hope.
Last month we talked about how to cultivate boldness in our prayer life. It starts with hope in the resurrected King–what He has already accomplished and what He can and will accomplish for those of us who believe. We can dare to ask boldly because of what God has promised. I outlined three steps to cultivate hope in our hearts. (If you missed that article, you can read it here.) Furthermore, bold prayer is accompanied by thanksgiving. . . for who God is, as well as what He has done and what He has promised to do.
But perhaps bold, audacious prayers still seem out of reach. Maybe you say, as I have done (and sometimes still do), “I don’t know if I have enough faith to pray boldly. I’m lucky if I just get around to praying.” If that’s you, thank you for your honesty. I get it; there are so many things that distract us, pulling us from prayer. Which brings me to my topic for this month, cultivating the habit of praying.
Paul told believers in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Did you catch that? Pray without ceasing!
Without ceasing? Really? Neverending, unstoppable prayers. . . is that even possible?
I believe it is, not the least because it is written as a command to us in God’s Word. (If God commands it, it is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.) Granted, I don’t believe this is something that can be accomplished without faithful discipline and perseverance to overcome the flesh, the pull of this world, and our spiritual enemies–the devil and his demons. Hopefully, we’ll get to examine this kind of abiding prayer life in more detail in the future, but for now suffice it to say it begins with faithful prayers, consistent prayers, daily prayers. In other words, it requires cultivating the habit of prayer.
Brother Laurence, a godly layman who served in a French monastery in the 15th century and whose collected teachings were compiled in the Christian classic The Practice of the Presence of God, got to the place where he was continually walking with God, conversing with Him and serving Him in every little thing. Father Joseph de Beaufort, who collected Brother Laurence’s teachings recorded:
…at the beginning he had often passed his time appointed for prayer, in rejecting wandering thoughts, and falling back into them. That he could never regulate his devotion by certain methods as some do.
Sound familiar? But Brother Laurence discovered it was God’s love, and delighting in that (much as one would their sweetheart), which drew him into the presence of God; and it was surrender and God’s kind grace which kept him there. He taught:
That in order to form a habit of conversing with GOD continually, and referring all we do to Him; we at first must apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty. . . .
That when an occasion of practicing some virtue offered, he addressed himself to GOD, saying, LORD, I cannot do this unless Thou enablest me; and that then he received strength more than sufficient. . . .
That we ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as they happen. That GOD never failed to grant it, as he had often experienced.
Prayer is a spiritual discipline–called such because it requires, well. . . discipline! It doesn’t come naturally. We have to press into the Holy Spirit who gives the fruit of self-control (or self-discipline). We have to, as Brother Laurence said, “apply [ourselves] to Him with some diligence,” while recognizing that in our own strength we will surely fail at this endeavor. We must simultaneously work at it with all our might and throw ourselves in all our weakness onto the mercy of Jesus and the aid He supplies us. As Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13, BSB).
You cannot make a habit of something you never do. Nor will it become a habit if its practice is sporadic. You have to pray in order to cultivate a life of prayer. But just as we don’t expect a five-year-old to clean the entire bathroom or a nine-year-old to cook the entire dinner on their own, so too we can’t expect ourselves to “pray without ceasing” until we learn how to pray and have practiced it. We train our children by first showing them how and starting them on little jobs (“wipe the counter” or “stir the sauce”) before increasing the tasks and independent responsibilities. Likewise, it behooves us to use prayer models and devotional or journaling tools to learn how to pray; (the Lord’s Prayer is a fabulous guide, and you can find a devotional tool that walks you through the Lord’s Prayer here). And it is helpful to schedule regular prayer time to grow our spiritual muscles (finding a prayer partner or two is a blessing, both in accountability and in powerful agreement in Christ).
On the other hand, don’t forget the importance of becoming like a little child in your prayer life (as we’ve talked about at great length in these articles). Ultimately, it boils down to cultivating a love relationship with the Trinity (your Father, your Lover, your Friend and Helper). As Brother Laurence practiced it:
That as he knew his obligation to love GOD in all things, and as he endeavored to do so, he had no need of a director to advise him [or, in our case, a prayer model]. He was very sensible of his faults, but not discouraged by them; that he confessed them to GOD. . .When he had done so, he peaceably resumed his practice of love and adoration.
. . .knowing only by the light of faith that GOD was present, he contented himself with directing all his actions to Him., i.e., doing them with a desire to please Him, let what would come of it.That as he knew his obligation to love GOD in all things, and as he endeavored to do so, he had no need of a director to advise him [or, in our case, a prayer model]. He was very sensible of his faults, but not discouraged by them; that he confessed them to GOD. . .When he had done so, he peaceably resumed his practice of love and adoration.
That useless thoughts spoil all: that the mischief began there; but that we ought to reject them, as soon as we perceived their impertinence to the matter at hand, or our salvation; and return to our communion with GOD. . . .
That all bodily mortifications and all other exercises are useless, but that they serve to arrive at the union with GOD by love; that he had well considered this, and found it the shortest way to go straight to Him by a continual exercise of love, and doing all things for His sake.
It is, after all, God’s love which ultimately and “inwardly excite[s] us to [prayer] without any difficulty.”
And so, dear brothers and sisters, yes, it is needful to discipline ourselves and make it a habit to pray. But to arrive at a lifestyle of prayer–one of praying without ceasing–our wisest course of action is to fall in love with Jesus. To be so captivated by who He is and what He’s done for us that we cannot help but want to love and serve Him. And out of the overflow of love and gratitude in our hearts, we begin a conversation with Him which never ends.
Pray with me:
Lord, I don’t love you as I ought. I know my weaknesses, that I am prone, as the old hymn says, to wander and to leave the God I love. Help me to know more deeply the love You have for me, the sacrifice You made for me, the righteousness You bought for me. Help me to fall so deeply in love with You that it is the greatest desire of my heart to spend time with You, to be in continual fellowship and communion with You. For this is what I need; it is what I desire. Amen.
