Praying Unceasingly Podcast by Pastor John MacArthur for Grace To You
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Our text this morning is one verse, chapter 5 and verse 17. First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” The apostle Paul, in this simple and specific command, calls on Christians to pray, basically, as a way of life. I used to say praying is like breathing, it’s just normal, it’s just natural, it’s just living for us. We inhale, we exhale, the atmosphere of the presence and the power of God. And while that is true, it is also true that we, who are dependent on God, and who – if genuinely Christians – do commune with God, do not pray as unceasingly as we ought to pray. We are guilty, I think, of spiritually holding our breath. While we would assume that the pressure of the very environment of God’s presence would force us to pray, even as air pressure forces us to breathe, that’s not necessarily the case. And we as Christians restrict our intake, the very presence of God, due to our own sinfulness. And so comes the injunction of the apostle Paul to pray without ceasing, to pray at all times. Continual, persistent, incessant prayer is an essential part of Christian living, and it flows out of dependence on God.
