[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, September 4, 2014

[Paul]

Hello and good day to all my cyber readers out there.  I hope that, as you read this message, that you are all doing well.

Today we continue our look at the subject of prayer from a magazine I just received in the mail several days ago, but most probably you haven't heard of it, at least in the Christian blind community, although some of you probably have.  Today we deal with the subject of praying without ceasing.  You've probably read that phrase found in I Thessalonians 5, and have most probably wondered what it meant.  Sure, some of you might have heard that we should be in an attitude of prayer, but to me that doesn't cut it.  Well, Debra K. Farrington has come up with a possible solution in her article entitled "Pray Without Ceasing," rendered as follows:

In the shower one morning I found myself praying that God would clean my heart and soul as I washed my body.  Another day I stopped for a few seconds and thanked God for something that had just happened.

These weren't conscious decisions to pray, just spontaneous responses to moments of grace.

Suddenly I realized that these were just as much prayer as my more formal prayer times.  And the activities and events of daily life, all witnesses to the presence of God, became my teachers of prayer without ceasing.

Your daily activities can be a springboard.  Use them all as opportunities for a spontaneous prayer of your own.  Or you could use prayers you've written or found in a book.  The Psalms are a wonderful resource.  Here are some of my favorites:

Upon waking up in the morning
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (118:24)

During your shower

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me." (51:10)

Getting dressed

"O Lord my God, You are very great.  You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment." (104:1-2)

Commuting

"Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths." (25:4)

Beginning the day's work

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands." (90:17)

Thankfulness

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things." (72:18)

During a difficult day

"I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (121:1)

When you regret doing something

"For Your Name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great." (25:11)

At the end of work

"All Your works praise You, O Lord, and Your faithful servants bless you." (145:10)

At bedtime

"I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me." (16:7)

Learning to become aware of God's presence continually, like any other discipline, requires practice.  We get caught up in the activities of the day, and our focus shifts away from God repeatedly.  You won't be able to master praying this way quickly.  Give yourself time to develop this practice.

Now here's a lady that I wouldn't mind sitting down with and having her expand on what she wrote.  Of course I know it's impossible, but it doesn't hurt to wish, does it? Perhaps some of you feel as I do.  At any rate I hope that Debra's words of advice and counsel from the Word sparked an interest to either renew or rejuvenate your prayer life.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another daily thought article for you, again focused on the subject of prayer.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul