Do I Pray Enough?
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
The verse above tells us to pray without ceasing. If we prayed continually throughout the day, then I guess we are praying enough to please God, but how can we possibly pray all day? I think what the verse means that we stay connected to the Lord through communing with him throughout our days.
If we develop the habit of communing with the Lord, it becomes a desire and becomes natural. And when our minds are taken away on worldly matters, we will still experience a connection to the Lord. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:4) When we pray we open our hearts with thanks because through Christ, the creator of all things, the sovereign God, hears our prayers and responds with divine wisdom and love. If Jesus was walking with us through the day, do you think we would ask him for his guidance, wisdom, and understanding? The truth is he is with us through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we learn to hear his voice by knowing scripture.
Praying without ceasing is communing with the Lord, praying to the Lord, and having scriptures come to mind from Christ. The more we know scripture the more we hear what the Lord is telling us. The Lord speaks to us through thoughts and we learn to distinguish our thoughts from his thoughts. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8) This verse reveals the blessing of praying without ceasing, we draw closer to the Lord.
So do I pray enough? We can have formal pray throughout day and we commune with the Lord. Many times we can have s short prayer of thanks, asking for guidance, or asking for understanding. These prayers normally takes 1 to 3 minutes, and requires we stop and focus on the Lord.
Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise Give thanks to Him, bless His name. (Psalm 100:204). This is the attitude of thankfulness that drives us into communion with our Lord and creates the desire to remain connected to the Lord at all times. The greatest blessing on the face of the earth is being close to the Lord!
Today pray without ceasing, commune with the Lord with a heart of thankfulness and praise. We have the God of all creation who loves us perfectly who desires to guide us through life with his love, wisdom, power, and strength.
Prayer: Lord, create in me a forever increasing desire to commune with you, and be closer to you. Help me to always be aware that I am connected to you. Thank you Lord for the Holy Spirit which connects me to you. In Jesus name, Amen