Pray Without Ceasing

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.    1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have you ever prayed and you felt like you were talking to a brick wall?  Have you ever looked around at your circumstances and thought, “There’s no way God is listening to me!”?

I’ve been there.  I’ve spent moments there, and I’ve spent seasons there.  I’ve wondered where God is in all my mess.  I’ve wondered if my prayers even mattered at all.

Then I’m reminded of James 5:16b-18, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

Wow!  Every time I read those verses, I am amazed.  God listens to the fervent prayer.  Fervent is defined as having or displaying a passionate intensity.  Do you have a passionate intensity when you pray?  I know I don’t always.  Some days I feel like I’m just going through the motions.

But can you imagine what it would be like if we began to pray fervently?  If we began to pray with a passionate intensity?  Strongholds will be broken down.  2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

We have to begin to pray with a passionate intensity.  We have to guard our hearts.  We have to be prepared when we go out into this world for whatever they’re going to thrown at us.  In Ephesians 6, Paul describes the armor of God and how we need to be equipped to go into battle each and everyday.  Verse 18 says, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for the saints…”.

We aren’t supposed to just have some puny little prayers.  We aren’t supposed to just throw up words that don’t matter.  We are supposed to pray with fervency and perseverance.  We need to be passionate in our prayers.  The more we spend time in prayer with our Savior, the closer we become to Him, and our wants and desires begin to line up with His.

I hope today that my prayers will be more passionate, more fervent.  I pray that I become more Christ like and therefore Spirit led in all that I do.  I don’t want to just offer up words to the Savior.  I want to have a close, intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father.  I want my prayers to be effective.