Friday, April 27, 2012

Pray Without Ceasing

Pray without ceasing
Pray without ceasing

When all else fails, pray. It’s good to pray when all else fails, but why wait? Pray before failure, pray in the midst of my circumstance, and pray when the circumstance seems lost; God hears me pray. Pray without ceasing. I will not cease to pray. I will not tire of praying. I will not give up on God.

Praying is a choice…I choose to pray. But why pray to God? I’ve never seen Him, yet He’s ever present in my life. Time after time, He has intervened in my life; I’m a witness to His grace and mercy. I believe this is the confidence of faith the Apostle John writes about:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” -- 1 John 5:14

God hears us! How remarkable is that? Almighty God chooses to hear us!

I began my Christian journey hopeful, thankful, and joyous; but I was also filled with uncertainty. Does God hear me? What about my past? I was constantly reminded of what I’d done, instead of what Christ accomplished. In time, I came to realize I was forgiven; I was freed to come boldly to the Throne of Grace to find help in my time of need.

Praying isn’t based on how I feel; prayer is my choice. Paul said, “I press on”. No matter what happens, my choice is to press on (i.e., pray on); no matter how I feel.

Never stop praying.” -- 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Every circumstance I face in life is an opportunity to ask God to hear me; it’s my God-given opportunity to pray. I can call a family member, a friend, or a professional counselor, but sometimes, the only response is their voice mail. They can call me at critical times in their life, but I may be unavailable, too busy, or just not in the mood. None of us can claim that we hear everything someone says to us. God hears!

Don’t be hesitant, don’t stop. Keep praying, God hears you.

Spiritual Sunday'sNote: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte).

9 comments:

Renee said...

Very comforting for me today to be reminded to turn to God FIRST when troubles come calling. He is ALWAYS there for us. Amen amen....

Audrey Charles said...

I, too, press on! Thanks for sharing!

Sherry Southard said...

Always comforting to know God hears our prayers and answers them. Very encouraging post. Thank you.

Anita Johnson said...

The fact that I can pray and have the Creator of the World hear me never ceases to amaze me.

Wendy said...

Great post... reminded me of something I read recently, "e.g. lack of prayer = pridefulnes i.e. when we fail to pray, we demonstrate our pride and confidence in ourself!"

Merana Leigh said...

When I hear people say, "the least I can do is pray for them", I correct them & say, "NO! The MOST you can do is pray for the. That's the best thing we can do for anyone!" Good to be back to blogland & see your inspiring words, MTJ!

Charlotte said...

Good thoughts. Too many times we use prayer as the last resort when we can't figure out any other way to make something happen. It should be the first thing we do. Children need to be taught this from the time they are very young. Most of us didn't get that opportunity. We had to learn it later in life and it is harder then.
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Charlotte

Jane said...

Just dropping by to say "Hi!" :)

Jocelyn said...

Prayer is so powerful and such a mighty way to touch the face of God.
Jocelyn @
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/