Pray Without Ceasing

BYTES~ Pray Without Ceasing

A Fresh Byte with Meaghan Spies

You Can Pray Without Ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 Pray Without Ceasing,…for this is the will of God concerning you.

When Holy Spirit first spoke to my heart many years ago regarding Praying Without Ceasing, I thought I had discovered the first error in the Bible. Surely God the Holy Spirit must have made a mistake giving this commandment, or Paul had heard Him wrong but decided to include the verse in his writings anyway because it sounded super spiritual. Nobody could possibly pray without ceasing unless they did not have kids or a job, right?

But God never makes mistakes. Jesus, God the Son, will never tell us to do something He has not done or could not do. He is not the God who is impossible. He is the God of the impossible. So when Jesus instructs us to pray without ceasing, He knows as Believers we can fulfill this mitzvah, or commandment, through Him who loves us, who strengthens us, whose grace is sufficient for us, which enables and empowers us to do His will His way. 

What Does ‘Without Ceasing’ Really Mean?

I love the INT, The Interlinear Bible’s, original Greek translation. It reads, unceasingly pray. Adialeiptos is a Greek word meaning unceasingly, without remission; and comes from the word meaning uninterruptedly; without omission (on an appropriate occasion).  Adialeiptos thus literally means without stopping, uninterrupted, without coming to an end; ceaseless, constant, continual.  

Proseuchomai is to Pray in the Greek. A picture of Praying Without Ceasing thus comes to my mind of someone praying earnestly to God. This person has a strong wish or desire which they refuse to let go of; at least not until what they are wishing or praying for is received or realized. This person refuses to give up on the hope that the One they are praying to is well able to do what He said He could do. Because the person knows hope does not disappoint, they find themselves almost naturally connecting with God in prayer throughout the day. That is Praying Without Ceasing.

What Should I Pray Unceasingly For?

You may be wondering how to begin Praying Without Ceasing and what to pray unceasingly for. Well, we pray for what our ultimate example, Jesus Christ, prayed for:

(1) Jesus prayed without ceasing and never missed an opportunity to heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, or minister to the needy in some way, and He commissioned His followers to do the same. Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.

Praying, petitioning or giving thanks to God in your heart throughout the day is setting the time and place to pray. Begin by praying about simple, everyday things that arise. You could walk into the office and pray for peace to prevail, or pray for wisdom for your manager to make wise, profitable decisions that would benefit the company and its staff members, or pray for healing for someone. At the bank or grocery store you could pray for faster queues, favour, or for an opportunity to tell someone Jesus loves them. There are many people and things you could lift up in short prayers throughout your day. Become more aware of your surroundings, of the people and of the needs around you. See each one as God opportunities to bring Him into every situation.

(2) Jesus maintained a close, ongoing and vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit when He was on earth. John 14:10 Do you not believe that I Am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The Words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father Who Dwells In Me does the works.

The same Father Who Dwelt in Jesus dwells in you. He is the Holy Spirit, the hope of glory living in you. Praying in the Spirit as the Holy Spirit leads is praying according to God’s will and always brings God on the scene. Praying Without Ceasing draws us nearer to God the more we do it. It transforms our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh so that we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit more clearly. Being led by the Spirit of God and of Jesus is a gift and a privilege given to us by God the Father. Learn to live like Jesus and cultivate a closer walk with His Spirit through praying without ceasing in your Heavenly language.

(3) Jesus prayed for labourers for His Father’s harvest and then taught the labourers that were sent His way to do the same. Luke 10:1-3a After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest. Go your way…”

The fields are white to harvest. You can pick a day, asking Holy Spirit to intercede through you for the Lord’s harvest. Pray about the people, nations and things He highlights to you.

There is so much we can pray for without ceasing. Spending time in the Word with the Holy Spirit can spark prayer ideas for the coming day. Endeavour to not spend so much time on complaining or throwing pity-parties for yourself. Instead become more conscious of your surroundings and the people in them. Pray without ceasing about everything. This change in behaviour will make you a doer of the Word and not a hearer only, and you will be fulfilling the will of God for your life.    

Meaghan Spies © 2022