Day 4: Ceaseless Prayers

1 Thessalonians 5:17

“….Lord, please help us to be people who pray without ceasing…” These are some of the words uttered by Langley Siekiersky recently as he closed our worship in prayer. Those words were first recorded when the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the church Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:17). Another man that I have always held in high regard once presented a lesson to a group of teenagers when I was in the Mt. Juliet youth group. At that time, this passage from Paul most often would strike our curiosities as questioning teenagers and prompt us to ask, “How could a person really pray continuously, without ever stopping to do any of the daily tasks that we normally participated and otherwise thought were important?” I’ve continued to remember Bill Speight relaying to us how important it was to be a people who always turned to prayer to communicate with our Heavenly Father- for everything. In good times, in bad times, when the way we should go isn’t clear, and especially when we feel the forces of the world upon our shoulders, He is where we can find solace, strength and encouragement. In Psalm 55:1-6, David reveals that it is through communion with his Father that he can escape the evil that is within his life and find the freedom of a dove.

So often it seems that we approach prayer to our Father in only a prescribed manner, beginning and ending our prayers to Him in a certain time and setting: when we wake up, at mealtime, in the car, at bedtime, etc. Bill also encouraged us as teens to go through each day in “constant”

prayer. He told us how each day as he awoke and started his day in prayer he literally would not conclude his prayer until he laid down at night. Throughout the day, silently and in all settings, he explained to us how he “continues” his communication with the Lord, just as he would with a friend by his side all day. This example has come back to me in recent years as I find myself communicating with the Lord by praying throughout the day- sometimes in periods of brief thought, acknowledging the Lord’s control over even the common occurrences of my day. There are other times when I just need to confide, and then there are times when “major” intercession is needed. As we go through each day, may we be a people who continue always in prayer.

Written by Jay Keopf, a deacon at Mt. Juliet

# posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Wednesday, November 17, 2010

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Day 4: Ceaseless Prayers 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “….Lord, please help us to be people who pray without ceasing…” These are some of the words uttered by Langley Siekiersky recently as he closed our worship in prayer. Those words were first recorded when the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the church Thessalonica (1 Thess. 5:17). Another man that I have always held in high regard once presented a lesson to a group of teenagers when I was in the Mt. Juliet youth group. At that time, this passage from Paul most often would strike our curiosities as questioning teenagers and prompt us to ask, “How could a person really pray continuously, without ever stopping to do any of the daily tasks that we normally participated and otherwise thought were important?” I’ve continued to remember Bill Speight relaying to us how important it was to be a people who always turned to prayer to communicate with our Heavenly Father- for everything. In good times, in bad times, when the way we should go isn’t clear, and especially when we feel the forces of the world upon our shoulders, He is where we can find solace, strength and encouragement. In Psalm 55:1-6, David reveals that it is through communion with his Father that he can escape the evil that is within his life and find the freedom of a dove. So often it seems that we approach prayer to our Father in only a prescribed manner, beginning and ending our prayers to Him in a certain time and setting: when we wake up, at mealtime, in the car, at bedtime, etc. Bill also encouraged us as teens to go through each day in “constant” prayer. He told us how each day as he awoke and started his day in prayer he literally would not conclude his prayer until he laid down at night. Throughout the day, silently and in all settings, he explained to us how he “continues” his communication with the Lord, just as he would with a friend by his side all day. This example has come back to me in recent years as I find myself communicating with the Lord by praying throughout the day- sometimes in periods of brief thought, acknowledging the Lord’s control over even the common occurrences of my day. There are other times when I just need to confide, and then there are times when “major” intercession is needed. As we go through each day, may we be a people who continue always in prayer. Written by Jay Keopf, a deacon at Mt. Juliet # posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Comments: Post a Comment << Home	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM Past Archives: November 2010 December 2010

Day 4: Ceaseless Prayers

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