So, last Sunday, July 18, one of the verses of scripture shared in my Sunday School/Connecting group was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. It says, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
As a pretty solid Methodist, it is of course not the first time I have heard, read, shared this scripture. Almost without fail there are questions regarding how may one actually pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.
I have even been told it is not possible to pray without ceasing. There are jobs to which we must attend and livings which must be made. If one is of the mind that prayer must be incorporated into a busy life then this certainly presents a dilemna of time management. However, the dilemna here is not one of time management but of priorities. What if rather than incorporating our prayer life into our "real" life we begin to incorporate our "real" life into our prayer life? Is it possible that instead of concentrating on careers or paying bills our concentration could be upon our prayers and their results?
If you consider prayer to be only a method of asking "Santa" God for stuff then praying without ceasing is not really a viable option for living your life. Praying in this manner is also not a viable prayer life. If you pray only in moments of desperation when you have failed miserably then you most likely would not even desire to pray without ceasing.
Prayer is a gift from God. God has provided an easily perpetually available method to approach our sovereign. Prayer is not an avenue for you to tell God what is happening, what you need/want, how or by whom you have been offended. While all of those cited above may be incorporated in your prayer, the prayer itself is to permit you to relieve yourself of those concerns and anxiety which may result. Prayer's purpose is not for you to advise God but for you to commune with God. Neither is prayer a oneway conduit for you to express yourself. You may also avail yourself of the opportunity to listen for, recognize, and incorporate God's response to prayer. If, in your prayer, you recognize your need for God and acknowledge the sufficiency of God to address all concerns it follows you would accept and act upon the reply of God. In that recognition you must realize the need for meditation and contemplation to discern and understand the response of God to prayer.
Practiced sincerely and steadily this type of prayer life becomes the focus of one's life rather than just another call upon one's time. This prayer life will become your "real" life. This prayer life will affect your career choices and concept of "success". Initially, one may feel there are sacrifices being made to live prayerfully. This is merely a matter of familiarity. Change is always feared and results in discomfort. As Christians, and I realize this may surprise some people, even many, we are not called to live comfortably.
And what about this "give thanks in all crcumstances"? I'm tired, hungry, wet, alone, sad, aggrieved, homeless, betrayed. What do I have to give thanks for?
Once again we encounter a difficuly in perception rather than reality. The very nature of circumstances is they are temporary. Just as the rest of life, the only constant is change. The Lord has promised you, Matt. 28:20 ...I am with you always, to the end of the age. Whereas the cirumstances in which you find yourself are temporary, the mercy, grace, and love of the Lord are infinite and eternal.
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