From Monologue To Dialogue

One of the things that was uppermost in the Apostle Paul’s mind during his early ministry was the idea of praying without ceasing. In First Thessalonians, the New Testament book that takes us closest to Jesus chronologically, Paul writes, “Rejoice always, never cease praying, render constant thanks; such is God’s Will for you in Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 5:16-18).

What did Paul mean when he wrote, “never cease praying”? He cannot have meant, literally, that you are to spend all of your time praying, in a formal sense. It seems obvious, first of all, that Paul’s instruction is based on the assumption that you already are engaged in regular, formal prayer; that you set aside a certain time (or times) each day to experience God’s Presence in an attitude of prayer. Jesus Himself is your Model for this. There are many episodes in the Gospels in which He withdraws to a quiet place to pray. If taking time out to pray is something you…