Pray without ceasing. – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
An aged woman in Sierra Leone, Africa, told a team of missionaries that she prayed 40 years for them to come to Compound Village where she lives and build a church there for Jesus. Her prayers were at last realized, and the first-ever Christian Church in a village with over 3,000 people was built. She had been in faithful and consistent prayer.
The fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians has some terse but extremely important mandates for you. “Pray without ceasing,” it says in verse 17. Just ahead of it in verse 16, read, “Rejoice always.” Verse 18 says “In everything give thanks.” These three little keys unlock the door of prayer that delights God and eases your soul. In prayer, you show your dependence upon God for everything, removing a great burden from yourself. In rejoicing, there is a song in your heart that the Lord hears, and it draws you closer to Him. In giving thanks in all things, you acknowledge how He satisfies you in the morning with His lovingkindness, and how He is faithful to you all through the day, giving you deeper joy and gladness. Be spontaneous in your prayer. Let your communication with God never stop.
Intercede for others to commit to praying in the year ahead, and especially for those men and women of faith who sit in the halls of government, that they would become more prayerful also.
Today’s Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
17 pray without ceasing,
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-25
14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
25 Brothers, pray for us.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
