Without Ceasing

I've always had a hard time understanding how to pray without ceasing. I would have short spurts during a horrendous trial where pray flowed off my lips all day, a product of desperation. But for daily life? It's a hard thing to achieve "praying without ceasing" when living a life that's pretty much made of ease. 

The problem was all mine. Not stepping out in faith, not risking anything, not attempting anything big for God, not serving beyond my abilities, not giving more than I had, all that led to an inability to "pray without ceasing." 

A day with some "hobby gardening", blogging, grocery shopping, house cleaning, playing games with the kids...who needs help with THAT? All good things. Nothing wrong with that. But if that's all there is to my total life... 

And speaking of my kids...I am not exactly teaching them to act in faith and follow hard after God if I am not leading the way.

In history, it's easy to find people that slept on a bed of nails or caused other pains in their life so that they would need to depend on God and live a life of prayer. That's not the way either! Causing mindless pain is useless. That is not a life of faith either. 

But when I read the Bible and try to actually DO what it says, I find myself needing constant divine help. I've turned from the world's wisdom to try to do things God's way and I need HIS wisdom daily, moment by moment. Tame the tongue, love the unlovely, see how unlovely I am, feed the poor, tell a neighbor where my hope lies, go to the lost, suffer with the suffering, choose patience...when I really seek to be a doer of God's Word...that keeps me praying!

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18