To Pray Without Ceasing, Lessons Of Intimate Worship – Rev. Bernadette Towers
“Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.”
Daily Devotional submitted by: Rev. Bernadette Towers
There have been two scriptures along with the book of Nehemiah (Nechemyah CJB) that God has used to encourage and direct my prayer life. One of the scriptures is 1 Thessalonians 5:17. In the King James and New King James Version, it reads Pray without ceasing.
When I was a new believer, I would ask God what does praying without ceasing actually mean. I read the bible and articles trying to learn and the more I read as a baby Christian, the more I it made me wonder. So, I changed my question from what it means, to Lord teach me how to pray without ceasing.
It was at this point God introduced me to the Psalms. The very first Psalm I learned, was Psalm 55:17 (NKJV) “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.” From this scripture God taught me to pray three times a day. I prayed when I awoke, at my lunch time (not always at noon) and in the evening before bed.
Praying three times a day was amazing. Although I was praying three times a day, at times just short ones, especially my lunch time, but I was surprised I could pray at all, I was very glad that God was guiding me and answered my prayer.
Still, I found myself pondering and asking God to teach me to pray without ceasing. In my mind, I was questioning, thinking how anyone could pray without stopping.
One day as I was reading the Psalms, and praying intermittently, I felt compelled to read the Book of Nehemiah (Nechemyah). Nehemiah had been the first book in the Old Testament, the Tanakh (Ketuvim section) that I actually studied. Oh, what great lessons are in this book! Most people I know saw within these powerful pages a man of leadership, and wisdom, and he was. But I saw and read about a man of prayer and obedience to God.
In the first chapter, I learned more about prayer than any other book or article I had read. Nehemiah knew how to pray! In the first chapter he received information that disturbed him greatly. Which lead him to fast and pray? Nehemiah first started with praise, he acknowledged the greatness of God, then his petition, and his confession. Nehemiah also reminded God of His Word, and His promises. He stayed humble and closed this prayer asking God for favor for himself, while honoring and acknowledging the greatness of Adonai. This is all in chapter one. I encourage and challenge you to read Nehemiah
So, what has God taught me about praying without ceasing? I have learned that praying is a lifestyle. It is a firm trust in God and walking with Christ. It is knowing that my God is always with me. He is engaged and involved with my thoughts. He hears me when I cry out; He hears my heart when I have no words. Praying without ceasing is me, having the awareness that God is forever and always with me and knowing that Christ lives in me. It is an inclination, an attitude that God is.