CHANNELS: Pray Without Ceasing

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Roy Christian Church

In our new series on Channels: Communicating with our Father, we will be focusing on prayer. The Language of Prayer. Bearing One Another's Burdens. Power to Change the World.

Paul gives us a three-legged plan toward personal development in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. They are short. They are fast. They are vitally important in the life of a follower of Jesus.

“Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Be joyful always.

Matthew 5:10-12. “Mt 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, o for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. p Mt 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, q persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. r Mt 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, s because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. t “

Following the words of Jesus and in the face of difficult circumstances, men like Paul were able to say, “I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. n I am greatly encouraged; o in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds” (2 Corinthians 7:4), and to commend that perspective to all believers, to be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10). In Acts, we find Paul and Silas in jail in the middle of the night. They had been arrested, stripped, beaten, and flogged severely. They were locked together in stocks in the inner jail. And they were praying and singing songs to God!

At moments in our lives, we have every reason to not be joyful, but because of Jesus they can and should be more joyful. Our joy flows out of our humility and dependence on God. “Rejoice anyway!”

Pray continually.

It is the only way to cultivate a joyful attitude in times of trial. Constant communication with God I the way to keep everything in balance.

Obviously, it cannot mean we are to be in a head-bowed, eyes-closed posture all day long. Paul is not referring to non-stop talking, but rather an attitude of God-consciousness and God-surrender that we carry with us all the time. Every waking moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions. Constantly recurring prayer. It grows out of a resolute dependence on God.

For Christians, prayer should be like breathing. You do not have to think to breathe because the atmosphere exerts pressure on your lungs and essentially forces you to breathe. That is why it is more difficult to hold your breath than it is to breathe. Similarly, when we are born into the family of God, we enter into a spiritual atmosphere where God's presence and grace exert pressure, or influence, on our lives. Prayer is the normal response to that pressure. As believers, we have all entered the divine atmosphere to breathe the air of prayer. Lifting the heart to God is the vital thing.

I read a sermon this week by Charles Spurgeon on this passage. As he talked about the constant nature of prayer, he noted that because it is impossible to use one’s voice perpetually in prayer, it is impossible to assume a habitual posture in prayer, it is impossible to locate yourself in the same place for prayer, and it is usually impossible to maintain a regimented schedule of prayer, that these four components are not essential elements in a disciple’s life of constant prayer.

Spurgeon also said, “Let all your actions be consistent with your prayers, and be in fact a continuation of your prayers.” To pray continually is not just a mental or spiritual exercise: it has real roots in and bearing on a believer’s everyday life, like in our jobs, in our homes, in our travel. If you are striving to follow Jesus and you find yourself in a place that you can no longer maintain a constant flow of communication from God, you ought not be in that place. A Christian ought not put himself in a place where he cannot continue in the attitude of prayer. Your daily life should be punctuated and seasoned with spontaneous and regular communication with God.

Continual, persistent, incessant prayer is an essential part of Christian living and flows out of humility and dependence on God.

Give thanks in all circumstances.

Life happens. Nearly every day, right? When our thoughts turn to worry, fear, discouragement, and anger, we are to consciously and quickly turn every thought into prayer and every prayer into thanksgiving. When Paul writes to the Philippian believers, he urges them to stop being anxious and instead, “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). He taught the believers at Colossae to devote themselves “to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2). There is a strong connection between prayer and gratitude.

One of the more popular bits of bad theology is that “everything happens for a reason,” which is a perversion of Romans 8:28 where Paul writes “we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Matter of perspective. The circumstances of life can drive us to very dark places. Unless and until we remember that God is big enough to bring some sort of blessing out of all circumstances. God is NOT the cause of every occurrence—nor is Satan. God CAN redeem every situation, and because of that, we give Him our thanks and praise.

If we are incapable of finding a cause for thanks in our situation, we should examine our faith in a universally capable and caring God.

Our gratitude flows out of our humility and dependence on God. Understanding that it is God who sustains our lives directly impacts our ability to thank Him in all circumstances.

For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

This binds the three together. God’s entire will for your life is NOT that you will have joy, pray, and be grateful, but all three are vital parts of His will for you.

God wants you to exhibit joy that comes from knowing Him.

God wants you to constantly communicate with Him.

God wants you to maintain an attitude of gratitude because of Him.

Our joy, our prayer, our gratitude all flow out of our humility and dependence on God. This dependence lies at our core, in the very center of who we are. If we make this right, then everything else that follows can be right, too.

The most important words in passage are “in Christ Jesus.” If we have placed Him at the core of our lives, if we are strengthening that primary relationship, all the rest of our lives pivot around Him. He wants you to anchor your lives to Him and to be changed. Are you ready today? In the last few weeks, Reilly, Sydni, Mary, Linn, Amy, and Tyler have all made that decision. Can you join them?

2012.08.05.Channels.Continually, Page 3 of 3