Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 esv
I am hoping that this doesn’t become an infomercial for a forthcoming book, but hear me out on this: I was on the phone this morning and was captured by the message of one of our NavPress authors, Pete Greig. (Yes, I will tell you: His book is called Dirty Glory and it will release this fall.)
As Pete shared and spoke with great enthusiasm about prayer, I caught it. His love of Jesus, and his desire to see everyone equipped and inspired to speak to the Father, is contagious. He exhorted us, “We need to move from a guilty should to a joyful could.” This was revolutionary talk.
I must tell you, dear reader, I often approach prayer in that form—a necessary task before the day is done. Last time I wrote about our need to pray for the November elections. In approaching the topic of prayer yet again, captured by Pete’s remarks, and then reading this verse from 1 Thessalonians, I’m realizing that the task of prayer should be a joyful experience. Even praying without ceasing—that is to say, without any end in mind—is to be a positive experience. For this is the will of the Father. The power of prayer manifesting itself through our lives, our mundane experiences, will not only be remarkable but encouraging to carry on. As I heard this morning, “Crazy awesome.”
So I sit here now typing this but anxious to get back to praying. What an exciting challenge to be told: “Pray without ceasing.” To borrow from the Brits (again?), perhaps we should all carry a placard saying, “Keep Calm and Keep Praying.”
