Sunday morning – January 10, 1982 – Edmund Gravely took off from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, in his small plane, heading to Statesville, Georgia, to pick up a new plane he had recently bought. Not long after takeoff, he reported to air traffic controllers that he was turning around because he was feeling ill. Edmund then had a massive heart attack six thousand feet in the air. His only passenger was his wife, Janice. She was not a pilot. But she took the controls and managed to keep the plane in the air for two hours. “Help! Help! Won’t someone help me?” she desperately pleaded over the radio. “My pilot is unconscious.” There was no response. When she ran out of fuel, Janice crashed-landed the plane in a field and crawled to a nearby house for help. Major Al Parker of the Civil Air Patrol later explained to reporters that Janice called for help but changed radio frequencies before they could respond. They could not locate, assist, or rescue her because she kept changing channels. 

This is also why things crash in believers’ lives. We cry out for divine intervention, but change channels before help arrives. How do you stay on the right channel? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 answers: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” These verses have been called “the standing orders of the church.” All Christians in all places at all times are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful.

These exhortations are radical. The verbs are not. By nature, true Christians are joyful, prayerful, and thankful. The adverbs give these commands their punch: “Always.” “Without ceasing.” “In all circumstances.” These instructions teach what churches should do on Sundays. They also teach how Christians should live every day. The three exhortations stand together. 

• To rejoice always is to pray without ceasing. 
• To pray without ceasing is to give thanks in all circumstances. 

Yet each exhortation stands alone. Let’s meditate on verse 17: “Pray without ceasing.” It is the will of God that you pray without ceasing. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

What does it mean to pray without ceasing? 

Pray Constantly. There are four words for prayer used in the New Testament. The verb translated “pray” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17is the most common and comprehensive term for prayer. It means to pray or offer prayers. It includes all the ways a Christian may approach God in prayer, including adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and intercession. The use of the general term indicates this exhortation is not about how to pray. It is about when you pray: “praying without ceasing.” To pray without ceasing is to pray constantly or continually. Prayer is to be a way of life. Gary Demarestsaid, “To pray without ceasing establishes prayer, not as a part of the Christian life, but as all of it.” I was out to dinner one night with my young family when I saw a teenager at a table with their cell phone for the first time. I mumbled my disapproval to Crystal. Now virtually everyone is attached to a smartphone. Our phones have become ubiquitous, as our lives are on our phones. If God is our everything, we should constantly check in with him through believing prayer. 

Pray Dependently. The command to “pray without ceasing” does not mean you should do nothing but pray. It means you should do nothing without prayer. Prayer is not about prayer; it is about God. We pray because God is worthy and we are needy. When we have a need, no one has to tell us to pray. But we should not treat prayer as a 9-1-1 emergency service. It should be the ongoing posture of our hearts. The open secret to prayer is a heart of dependence. David Williams said, “Prayer acknowledges our utter dependence upon God and the utter dependability of God in all circumstances.”  

• You will not pray if you do not sense your need for God. 
• You will not pray right if you do not sense your need for God. 
• You will not pray without ceasing if you do not sense your need for God.     

Prayer does not inform God of anything. There is no “Breaking News” in heaven. But prayer reveals where our trust lies. Prayer advertises our dependence upon God. What you pray about is what you trust God with. What you do not pray about is what you trust yourself with. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Pray Obediently. Why pray? The first and best answer is that we pray because the word of God commands us. The most obvious reason to pray is that it works. God hears and answers prayer. But prayer would still be a meaningful practice if it had no practical benefits. Obedience is its own reward. “Pray without ceasing” is a divine command, not a nice idea, helpful hint, or good recommendation. The Lord commands us to pray unceasingly. Psalm 27:8 says, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” Praying obediently is the starting point to praying unceasingly. Joni Eareckson Tada wrote, “Certain things simply will not happen… unless we pray. How all of this fits into God’s master plan and eternal design remains a mystery, but there is no mystery to the command.” Pray without ceasing! Do whatever it takes to fully obey this divine command. 

• Disassociate from people who tempt you to not pray without ceasing. 
• Avoid any place that hinders you from praying without ceasing. 
• Abstain from practices that prevent you from praying without ceasing. 

Pray Eagerly. “Pray without ceasing” is a command to obey. But it is more than that.

• It is a command and a privilege.  
• It is a duty and a delight. 
• It is an imperative and an invitation. 
• It is an obligation and an opportunity. 
• It is what you ought to do and get to do. 

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” You can’t go to the White House and walk into the Oval Office to talk to POTUS in your time of need. But our heavenly Father commands us to pray without ceasing. Prayer is not a burdensome duty to obey. It is a wonderful privilege to enjoy. Don’t let your prayer life become routine, mechanical, or halfhearted. Pray eagerly! Ruth Bell Graham said, “Pray when you feel like it, for it is a sin to neglect such an opportunity. Pray when you don’t feel like it, for it is dangerous to remain in such a condition.”

• Pray Devotionally. 

“Pray without ceasing” involves more than “saying prayers.”  It does not mean you should always be on your knees with your eyes closed, talking to God in formal prayer. That’s impossible. But do not use that as a loophole. 

• You cannot always be in prayer. 
• You can always be prayerful. 

D. Edmond Hiebert wrote: “In the Christian life, the act of prayer is intermittent, but the spirit of prayer should be incessant.” To pray without ceasing is to always be in a spirit of prayer. It is not about when, where, or howyou pray. It is living with a sense of God-consciousness. You don’t have to be in constant communication with God to be in constant communion with God. It is better to have a heart of prayer with no words than words of prayer with no heart. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” The more you learn to pray without ceasing, the more you long to pray without ceasing. 

Pray Regularly. You may use a schedule, calendar, or to-do list to keep your life in order. Is God on your schedule? Make appointments with God. Put your prayer time on your calendar. Treat it as a meeting you can’t afford to miss. Don’t be superstitious about it. But set regular times of prayer. 

• Set a morning prayer time to start your day with God. 
• Set an evening prayer time to end your day with God. 
• Set times throughout the day to check in with God. 

Establish prayer triggers, as well as prayer times. When you get in the car to go to your next destination, pray. As you pass from one class to another, pray. Before you dial the next person on your call sheet, pray. Daniel’s enemies tricked King Darius into naming himself “God for a month” – no one could pray to anyone but him for thirty days. Daniel 6:10 says, “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” To pray effectively when a crisis arises, pray regularly before a crisis arises.

Pray Spontaneously. To pray without ceasing, pray regularly and spontaneously. Prayer should be a spiritual discipline and a natural reaction. Practice extended and brief times of prayer. 

• Prayer should be included in your schedule. 
• Prayer should also interrupt your schedule. 

Charles Spurgeon called it “ejaculatory prayer.” The adverb, “without ceasing,” translates a Greek word that referred to a hacking cough. Have you ever had a bad cough you could not shake? You cough throughout the day. In the middle of a conversation, you must stop and cough. You try not to draw attention to yourself, but you cannot hide the need to cough. Coughing keeps you up at night and wakes you up early in the morning. The attempt to suppress the cough only makes you cough harder. In the same way, pray without ceasing! Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

Pray Persistently. To pray without ceasing is to never cease to pray. That is the primary point of 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Don’t stop praying! Jesus told two parables about prayer. 

• Luke 11 records the Parable of the Friend at Midnight. 
• Luke 18 records the Parable of the Unjust Judge. 

The parallel parables both call us to persist in prayer. Word of Faith proponents claim that it is a lack of faith to pray for something more than once. The truth is that it is a lack of faith to stop praying before you get an answer. Pray until something happens! Yes, it happens after prayer! But it will not happen if you stop praying. Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

When the Chinese Bamboo seed is planted, nothing happens the first year. Nothing happens in the second year. It is watered and fertilized, but nothing happens in the third or fourth year. In the fifth year, the bamboo tree can grow ninety feet in six weeks. Does it grow in six weeks or five years? Five years. There would be no sudden grow in there was no ongoing care. Are you in a Bamboo situation? Don’t forgive “yes” with “no.” Keep watering the seed until it grows! 

Pray Actively. When there is a need, hurt, or goal in our lives, our instinct is to do something about it. We do not instinctively pray, because we do not view prayer as “doing something.” That is a misunderstanding of the purpose, practice, and power of prayer. 

• Pryer is not passive. It is active. 
• Prayer is not slothful. It is zealous. 
• Prayer is not let go and let God. It is hold on and let God. 

Charles Spurgeon asked, “Is it not a continuing to pray when we use the best means toward the obtaining of that which we pray for?” In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Then Matthew 10:5 says, “These twelve Jesus sent out.” This is how prayer works. To pray sincerely is to be willing and open for God to use you as a part of the answer to the prayer. Your prayer is not a prayer if your life is not a prayer. It does not matter that you pray on your knees as much as it matters that you put feet on your prayers. Love is prayer. Submission is prayer. Obedience is prayer. Service is prayer. Worship is prayer. Forgiveness is prayer. Witnessing is prayer. George Meredith said, “Whoever rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.” 

Pray Confidently. Many Christians live by faith but pray by works. We don’t apply the finished work of Christ to our prayer lives. When we do good, we pray confidently. When we do wrong, we avoid prayer. The way off this rollercoaster is to preach the gospel to yourself. What do I do when I don’t feel worthy to pray? Remind yourself that you are never worthy to pray. We draw near with confidence to the throne of grace through the mediating work of our Great High Priest, whose blood and righteousness open for us a new and living way to God. Verse 18 explains why we should pray without ceasing: “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” That clause highlights three details about the command to pray without ceasing. 

• It is the will of God. 
• It is in Christ Jesus. 
• It is for you. 

Romans 8:32 asks, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Pray confidently that God in Christ will hear your cries, meet your needs, calm your fears, give you strength, fight your battles, heal your hurts, and change your ways.