Daily Reading for Tuesday, Jan. 15: Prayer

“Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 The Amplified Bible

Prayer, to believers, should be as automatic as breathing. It is interesting when one examines the breathing mechanism that God has given us. On one hand, we can control and contain our breathing, on the other hand, we continue breathing without having to give it a second thought. Prayer is like that. There are many times of concentrated prayer when we are praying singularly with a definite purpose and agenda. Those times are necessary times for us in our communications with God. We need to bring our petitions before Him, we need to communicate our needs to Him, and we cannot move forward until we hear from heaven. There are other times of unconscious, unplanned, uncontrolled prayer. Those are the spontaneous outbursts of joy, sorrow, fear, happiness, exaltation, and gratitude. We may enter into a conversation with the Almighty not knowing where it will end—but enjoying every moment of it. We come away from these times refreshed, energized, motivated. There will be times when we call to God but for a moment, and then life rushes in to demand our attention. A rich prayer life will include all these elements and more. To pray without ceasing is as easy as breathing, yet it takes the discipline of a master musician to live in such a manner. As Paul says in his letter to the Colossians, fix your heart and mind on things above. When we fix ourselves in thought and action on Christ, we will have that discipline and we will pray without ceasing.