Question 6 in a series, “Questions About Prayer” About a 9-minute read
“Pray without ceasing.” You’ve gotta be kidding!
Apparently a lot of people have asked this question and longed to experience perpetual prayer. Looking for a particular book, “Pray Without Ceasing,” my Amazon search popped up 20 books with that very title. And the book I was looking for wasn’t one of them!
If you’re like me, you may have thought quite a bit about this three word command tucked among similar to-the-point imperatives Paul that underscored as he wrapped up his first letter to the Thessalonians. Paul even seemed to add an exclamation mark: “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (italics added).
Without ceasing? Really?! Well, apparently that is what the text means. Without ceasing: “pertaining to not ceasing from some continuous activity—‘not ceasing, not stopping, unceasingly, continuously’” (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. [1996]).
Some feel “without ceasing,” in the broader context of Scripture, means one should be regular and persistent in prayer. MacArthur asserts, “(Unceasing) does not mean pray repetitiously or continuously without a break (cf. Matt. 6:7, 8), but rather pray persistently (cf. Luke 11:1–13; 18:1–8) and regularly (cf. Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2, 12)” (The MacArthur Study Bible [electronic ed., p. 1850]). There’s a lot to ponder and apply in the verses MacArthur quotes. For example, without ceasing doesn’t mean rote repetition of memorized phrases without reflection.
Maybe one way to describe “pray without creasing” is to seek continually in the moment to internally stay in listening/responding conversation with God about the situations, people, and circumstances that God brings to mind.
Yet for me, substituting “persistently” and “regularly” for “without ceasing” doesn’t quite catch the full intent of the verses quoted. Maybe one way to describe “pray without creasing” is to seek continually in the moment to internally stay in listening/responding conversation with God about the situations, people, and circumstances that God brings to mind.
There are some who have tried to apply “without ceasing” literally, as in, praying all the time. I do try, off and on. And it’s, uh, difficult for sure, um, to say the least. Still, others have learned to apply this command literally. For example, Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.
Brother Lawrence
Brother Lawrence was a 17th century lay-brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. His parents were peasants, and his poverty was somewhat alleviated when he became a soldier so he could get three free meals a day and a little pay. The savagery of battle (Thirty Years’ War) had a devastating impact on him. Committing himself to a life of simple, intimate awareness of God, he developed a gentle and peaceful spirit that attracted many to seek counsel from him.
Brother Lawrence wrote a short spiritual classic titled “The Practice of the Presence of God” which has profoundly impacted the spirituality of countless Jesus-followers. The first section of the book are accounts of “Conversations” which reflect Brother Lawrence’s passion and pursuit of God. He desired “to form a habit of conversing with God continually, and referring all we do to Him, we must at first apply to Him with some diligence: but that after a little care we should find His love inwardly excite us to it without any difficulty” (p. 8, Kindle). Some key words in this quote that reflect the spirit of “pray without ceasing”: “habit . . . continually . . . all we do . . . diligence.”
Brother Lawrence asserted, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament” (p. 14). If the image of a burly saint impacting the chaos of a busy kitchen grabs your imagination, you may enjoy more Great Quotes by Brother Lawrence.
If unceasing prayer was the persistent, peace-inducing practice of an under-educated, rough soldier, could it also possibly be in reach for you and me?
Frank Laubach
In the early 1900s, Frank Laubach was a Congregational missionary to a tough harvest field in the southern Philippines. Perhaps Laubach’s son Robert is the best person to introduce “Letters by a Modern Mystic”:
“Why read a diary kept by a man who lived three-quarters of a century ago? Because it is a diary of a man’s walk with God. That man—Frank C. Laubach, my father—kept this diary at a time when his life was at its most discouraging depth.
“He was alone in an alien land, among a people whose language he had yet to learn and whose religion he had yet to appreciate. Their indifference rebuffed this missionary, who was so well trained and so eager to help them. In despair, he spoke with God night after night on Signal Hill, a convenient knoll just outside the town of Dansalan in the Philippines.
“As this prayer diary tells, he gradually learned to talk and to walk with God. As he did so, God humbled him and taught him to walk and work with his new Maranao friends. From this spiritual journey emerged the unique concept of God’s love in action . . . “ (Kindle Location 64)
Finding Great Quotes from “Letters by a Modern Mystic” is a bit like catching honey dripping from a honeycomb with a wide open mouth. Here’s just two, just an appetizer:
“It is exactly that ‘moment by moment,’ every waking moment, surrender, responsiveness, obedience, sensitiveness, pliability, ‘lost in His love,’ that I now have the mind-bent to explore with all my might. It means two burning passions: First, to be like Jesus. Second, to respond to God as a violin responds to the bow of the master.”
“My part is to live this hour in continuous inner conversation with God and in perfect responsiveness to His will, to make this hour gloriously rich. This seems to be all I need think about.”
Laubach’s emphasis
To be an aspiring Brother Lawrence or Frank Laubach is a high goal. I have found that seeking to emulate their unceasing-prayer success can be . . . yes, difficult. Yet it is important to note that both these role-models confessed it is really hard to gain a consistent level of “unceasing-ness.” In my own words, they both seem to say, “Don’t give up. Just keep talking and listening to God. He’ll help the habit form.”
Peace eliminates fear. Love overcomes distrust, dislike, disturbance, distance, disdain, and disenfranchisement. Joy jumps up and dances down depression.
Unceasing prayer? I don’t know if it is literally in reach, but perhaps you too have noticed that when in the moment, in conversation with Jesus, listening to his voice through the Holy Spirit, asking what he wants to happen in this particular situation, or how to show his love to that particular person. . . well, things start to happen right. Peace eliminates fear. Love overcomes distrust, dislike, disturbance, distance, disdain, and disenfranchisement. Joy jumps up and dances down depression.
I don’t know. Or maybe I should. I don’t think God through Paul would tell us something is his will and not give us what it takes to do it.
And if we could, if we would, it surely would be a game-changer!
Community Conversation
What do you think?
If “pray without ceasing” is “God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” does it mean pray “regularly,” or is it something more?
What impacts you about Brother Lawrence’s and Frank Lauber’s application of “pray without ceasing”?
My thought.
Praying without ceasing doesn’t mean walking around on your knees, but instead keeping Jesus in the conversation at all times. Talking to God continually. Out loud, in your spirit and of course on your knees. God inhabits every moment of every day. We can speak, worship and share our thoughts with Him as we go through life keeping him at the forefront of our hearts and minds. As situations arise lay it before God. As blessings come be thankful to God. As anxiety creeps in cast it on God.
pray without ceasing
Well said, Dave! The image of walking around on our knees brought a smile to my face. 🙂 Yes. Let’s stay in conversation with God–joyfully when blessing come, in deep trust when anxiety creeps in. Thank you, Dave.