A month with God: Pray without ceasing
From Pulpit Magazine, adapted from Alone with God by John MacArthur:
To "pray without ceasing" refers to recurring prayer, not nonstop talking. Prayer is to be a way of life -- you're to be continually in an attitude of prayer. It is living in continual God-consciousness, where everything you see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to Him. It should be instant and intimate communication -- not unlike that which we enjoy with our best friend.To "pray without ceasing" means when you are tempted, you hold the temptation before God and ask for His help. When you experience something good and beautiful, you immediately thank the Lord for it. When you see evil around you, you ask God to make it right and to use you toward that end, if that is His will. When you meet someone who does not know Christ, you pray for God to draw that person to Himself and to use you to be a faithful witness. When you encounter trouble, you turn to God as your Deliverer.
Thus life becomes a continually ascending prayer: all life's thoughts, deeds, and circumstances become an opportunity to commune with your Heavenly Father. In that way you constantly set your mind "on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2).
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I really like this, Michael. I found the concept of praying without ceasing to be a rather daunting proposition when I was younger. It's only been in the past couple of years that I've felt I really understood what it meant. It still seems a little challenging sometimes, but only in the sense that I haven't practiced quite enough to have the hang of it -- not in the sense that I'm being asked to do something impossible.
This piece you've posted is a great explanation of a Biblical demand that can seem terribly intimidating at first glance.
(Apologies if this posts twice; the anti-spam thingy is showing me one set of letters and claiming I've typed another.)