How to Pray Always

Pray Without Ceasing

---

I'm increasingly conscious of our hunger to have some space in our lives, whilst at the same time trying to cram in more activity. It's a strange paradox that silence is something we fear and yet crave at the same time. In the convent at Wantage, there is lots of silence, which I found difficult to get used to since I am naturally talkative. I wanted to learn to live a prayerful life, but I found the silence almost painful. Contrary to what many people think, there is no running away from reality in a convent.

In the silence, there were fewer distractions that enabled me to cover up some of my less glamorous traits. Gradually, though, I began to find the silence helpful. Although I became more aware of my failings and my lack of love for others, I did not feel condemned by God or other people, but instead felt a desire to change. Now that I am not living in a religious community, part of me wants to fill my life with noise, and I love socialising with friends, but I know that for me this needs to be balanced with times of quiet, so that I can continually develop my trust in God.

The experience of needing space to listen to God is not unique to me, or to the nuns, but seems to be a common experience since ancient times and still today. Elijah had been faithful to what he believed God had asked of him, he had experienced dramatic manifestations of God, and yet he still experienced depression. When he was at his lowest ebb, scripture describes how Elijah met with God not only in whizzy experiences but in silence:. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

It seems that one of the ways God likes to communicate with people is in the silence.

How to Love God When You Don’t Feel It

So for many of us, silence needs to be part of how we relate to God. It was true for Jesus and others in the Bible who sought out solitude. This solitude is not self-indulgent, but strengthens our antennae and helps us to listen to God both in our prayer times and throughout the day. It's also a place where we cannot pretend to be better than we are, or pretend to have status because of our lifestyle, work or social media profile!

It is in presenting ourselves before God as we are that we get to know ourselves more deeply too, and learn that in spite of everything we think we are not, we come to see that we are loved — just as we are. It is true that nuns and monks spend a lot of time in silence and solitude, but this is always set in a community context and in a routine of corporate prayer. It seems that there is a link between being part of a community, being grounded in scripture and living a prayerful life.

Certainly, I've noticed that it seems easier to pray in a group. People seem to be created to be in relationships with one another. We need the love and support of friends if we are embarking on living a prayerful life. If you like, you can pray as part of our online community as part of the Discovering Prayer Course. The course is our gift to you, absolutely free. Just click on the picture below to find out more. We don't need to make Herculean efforts to concentrate in our prayer times. God delights in our efforts just as they are, and longs to draw closer to us.

It is helpful to have a prayer time, if we can set time aside, when we more fully surrender to God. In getting to know ourselves we can learn, little by little, to allow God's love to permeate what we do. For this, it helps to have the support of friends. Learning to pray without ceasing is probably a life's work. Here's a summary of some practical things that can help:.

One method is to quietly ask for God's guidance before dong an activity. Then do the activity in a way that is 'recollected'. An activity to try is to be intentionally aware of what we are doing during an activity; to really noticing what happens, and offer it to God. Repetitive activities, such as walking, travelling, gardening, or cooking are good ones to start with.

Disability Is No Accident

Jesus did not leave us any precise timing for our prayers. When we judge ourselves harshly, if we don't pray as we think we ought, then this judging can be a barrier to learning to pray. Listening to God is perhaps easy to say, but not so easy to do.

Often in the Bible it's the still small voice of God that speaks most profoundly to people. We can build silence into our days by simply turning off the TV or radio for a while.

2. Run with God.

In the quiet, we begin to discover more about ourselves and more about how to listen to God. If you're unaccustomed to silence, then even 5 minutes can make a real difference. If we allow some silence in our days then this often has an effect on our prayer times, because it enables us to listen more fully..

How to Pray without Ceasing

Like birds in migration, sharing the load on their long journey, it's often easier to learn to pray with others. If we think more broadly about prayer then it becomes more fulfilling and more natural. Or wondered what it means to pray without ceasing? Doing each activity with a clear focus What about you? I think the sisters knew I struggled with living in each moment, which was why they picked the following verses of the Bible for my clothing retreat: In this quote, Screwtape refers to God as 'our Enemy' as he addresses distracting people from the present moment: Ditching the Prayer-o-Meter I think it is good to have special times of prayer with the Lord, but not to define these in terms of clocking up minutes, since that way leads to a sense of inadequacy and depression!

Learning to listen to God "I'm an electrician," said a friend of mine recently at a Discovering Prayer mini retreat. Learning to be silent If you want to listen then stopping talking is a good idea. It's a bit of a no-brainer! When he was at his lowest ebb, scripture describes how Elijah met with God not only in whizzy experiences but in silence: I mentioned you without ceasing.

It means that over and over, always, repeatedly, without fail, when I get on my knees, you are in my prayer. And the third thing I think he means is not giving up on prayer.

7 Ways to Learn to Pray Without Ceasing

I am giving up on prayer. So, the key to rejoicing always is to pray continually; that is, to lean on God all the time and call to him repeatedly and often. Never give up looking to him for help, come to him repeatedly during the day, and come often. Make the default state of your mind a godward longing and a godward thankfulness.

And one last thing, maybe, it would be helpful to say. I have heard enough people say that they want to pray spontaneously.

How Do I Pray Without Ceasing? | Desiring God

They want to be always in a spirit of prayer. I think that is ridiculous. I think it is unbiblical and it think it is unrealistic if they just knew themselves, because it is disciplined, regular times of prayer that fit us for the kind of spirit that enables us to enjoy the hour-by-hour, spontaneous walk with God. And good old Daniel in the Old Testament is a great example of this, because we know that Daniel in critical crisis moments of his life offered up quick prayers to God: He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

He continued his pattern of disciplined, three-times-a-day prayer: So, the point is that Daniel lived a life that combined discipline three times a day with spontaneous encounters with God, and I think that is the way it should be with us. If we hope to pray without ceasing day and night in the way Paul calls us to, enjoying that kind of continual communion with God and that repeated coming to him, we are going to need to develop disciplined times of prayer as well.

Find other recent and popular Ask Pastor John episodes. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod. He is author of more than 50 books , including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist , and most recently Expository Exultation: Christian Preaching as Worship. John Piper Sep 17, Is God Mad at Us? John Piper Sep 14, John Piper Sep 19, Audio Transcript We begin the week with a question from Zach, a listener to the podcast, who writes in to ask about prayer.

What is Christian meditation? Our love for God enflames when we see his beauty, remember his mercy, and feel his love. Six Traits to Look for in a Spouse Sep 18, Pray and seek counsel about what you should look for in a potential spouse, and then resolve not to settle for anything less.

• SMOKE TOXICITY, Plus 500 free US military manuals and US Army field manuals when you sample this boo
• Force Majeure: Prairie Bay
• The Young and the Thirsty: 25 California Wines for the New School Drinker
• Russian Tortoises (Complete Herp Care)
• Minerals, Metals and Sustainability: Meeting Future Material Needs
• Commanding the Tides (Lords of the Abyss Book 2)