1Thssalonians 5:16-22 “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.” (NASB)
A dear friend of mine is lying sick in the ICU at a local hospital and as word of her illness has spread many have offered their prayers. I have asked many to pray and to “Pray without ceasing”. It is this idea of praying continually that I’d like to explore today.
I have heard and perhaps you have too over the years that encouragement, “Pray without ceasing”. I believe the idea is clear that we are to maintain that open dialogue with God throughout our day, every day. Do we achieve it? No, we don’t but it remains the ideal toward which we strive. As I did the word search to find this phrase in Scripture I found that it occurs in the final chapter of 1 Thessalonians. It is essentially a portion of Paul’s benediction or closing remarks in this letter.
In context, “Pray without ceasing” is but one of the closing encouragements in the letter. I would suggest that it bears no greater weight than the others so in making this observation I believe we should take a look at what goes along with our continual state of prayer. As we begin I’ll just tell you they are every bit as challenging as, “Pray without ceasing”.
First we are encouraged to, “Rejoice always”. I recently wrote a BLOG called “Joyful Trials” in which this concept is explored. You can find it in the index for further review. None-the-less rejoicing always especially in light of seeing my friend in the hospital is a tall order. How am I to do it? The next phrase is, “Pray without ceasing” and following that comes the exhortation, “In everything give thanks”. So I’m not only to find joy continuously as I maintain an open conversation with God but I am to give thanks to God continuously as well.
Paul indicates that obedience in these things will help me follow the next instruction. He writes, “Do not quench the Spirit”. The Spirit is often referred to as a fire or light so, “Quench the Spirit” would be to put out the flame or dim the light and we are not to do this. The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as The Encourager. This is due to the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer which encourages us in all things to live honorable and yes, holy lives. So this passage is saying not to put the Holy Spirit aside rather to yield to Him; “Hold fast to what is good”. I would suggest here that only by yielding to the Holy Spirit can we find joy and give thanks in continual prayer especially in the midst of trials. Especially as we see a loved one lying in a hospital bed so ill.
We are asked to “Examine everything carefully” that is to say, evaluate what is being taught in light of all Scripture to be sure that it is Truth. This is a warning that not everything out there should be believed. After all, Satan knows that the best lie is very near the truth. I’ll spend more time on that topic another time. For now, the Scripture is clear, evaluate everything with care.
Finally, “Hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil”. Face it; sometimes we just do the opposite. Paul reminds us that we are not to follow those ways of the world; we’re different so we need to act like it.
So, where does that leave us? “Pray without ceasing” is a Biblical command that in context is a part of the greater picture of how a Christian should live. We are to live in communion with the Lord helped along the way by the Holy Spirit who will also help us discern Truth from error; good from evil. Yield to Him, pray to Him, give thanks to Him, live in Him, and glorify Him. AMEN!
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