Do You Pray Continually?
Posted by appolus on March 9, 2008
This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer. Simply whisper the name of Jesus, all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that your having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself.
 DO YOU PRAY CONTINUALLY?
Philippians 4:6,7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication make your request known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Prayer is something that most of us struggle with at one time or another. There is a direct correlation between your walk with the Lord and your prayer life. There can be seasons of dryness, seasons of drought, seasons of abundance, there can be deep dark winters from which we may think we shall not emerge from, all of this is common to every saint.
There are many teachings about prayer, there are a thousand books one could buy that attempt to teach us how to pray properly, or with power, or with might and faith, and yet the truth is as simple as our relationship with Jesus. Prayer is our relationship with God. They are one and the same. If we attempt to separate them then we will get lost. There are no formulas, no secret methods, prayer is being in the presence of God.
When I was a teenager, I had to go to a school that required me to go by train. On the journey home, a guy in my class would get of at the same stop, and, as we lived in the same neighborhood, we would have about a two mile walk to get home. I used to dread that walk home.
I did not really know this guy and so we both talked incessantly about anything and everything just so we could avoid any embarrassing silences. As we got to know each other better, there was not such a need to constantly have to think of something to say, and as time went on, we could be peaceful in the silence.
For most of us, we have a concept of prayer that is all about talking. We start of by giving thanks, then we make our requests, we pray for family members and before we know it has become ritualistic and barren. Prayer should be much more like breathing, when was the last time you thought about breathing? Your probably not even conscious of your breathing, yet you do it continually and it sustains you and gives you life, bringing precious oxygen through your lungs, sustaining the very nerve center of your body, your brain.
While prayer times and quiet times are good, for many, that is our moments when we connect with God. In the morning and in the evening before we go to bed. If we have neglected His presence all day, our prayer times will not be effective.In our minds, we must take God every where we go, whispering to Him all through the day as we face the challenges, trials and temptations that come with life. Begin to see God everywhere, visualize His presence everywhere you go and you will be amazed at the depth of your relationship that will come. You will not just be talking to Him in your prayer times and quiet times, He will become an integral part of everything that you do.
Each whisper, every Godward thought, every word spoken, each moment of silence spent in His presence is like a musical note to the Lord. The Scriptures refer to the Lord as “He who sits above the circle of the earth.” And so He who sits above the circle of the earth, sees each and every one of these musical notes from around the world from the Body of Christ, rising up in a majestic symphony of love and worship and it is a sweet, sweet sound in His ears.
This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer. Simply whisper the name of Jesus, all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that your having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself.
For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere. If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops, if the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through.
Pray without ceasing brothers and sisters, it is not a bondage, but a glorious privilege that enables us and empowers us to be overcomers in a dark world that is desperate for the light of love, joy, peace, truth, justice and compassion. If we continue in Him, if we abide, then we will be all of these things and more and our lives will be dynamic testimonies to the glory of the risen Lord.
As I finished writing this, I sense that many who read this are facing “cloudy days,” and the light of the Love of Jesus seems to have flown away. I pray that this day the Lord will give you eyes to see beyond the clouds and you will reestablish your connection with Him. I wrote this poem as I flew into Scotland, a country almost continually covered by clouds and darkness.
EVER PRESENT
BEYOND EVERY CLOUD
I KNOW ITS TRUE
THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT
AND THE SKY IS BLUE
IF WE ONLY HAD EYE’S
THAT COULD TRULY SEE
THAT DESPITE HUMAN CHAINS
WE ARE SURELY FREE
SO DO NOT STAND STILL
FROZEN TO THE GROUND
LET YOUR SPIRIT FLY
IN THE AIR TO BE FOUND
AND WHEN THE DARK CLOUDS
THREATEN TO CONSUME
ALWAYS REMEMBER
THAT THERE’S AN EMPTY TOMB
AND THAT JESUS OUR LORD
REIGNS ON HIGH
AN ETERNAL SON
AN ETERNAL BLUE SKY
A Call To The Remnant 
timbob said
Greetings. To be continually acknowledging of the presence of the Lord as Jesus has promised to be with us always. Last night I was thinking on Psalm 63 where it states “when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.” It’s a fellowship with God who created all that is and it goes far deeper than words. A continual abiding in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
This is a very important post; all the more so in these trying times. Every saint must get in close to the Lord Jesus as we’re in what the world would call “uncharted territory” concerning the economic and geo-political landscape. And yet we know that God sees the end from the beginning and everything is going as has been revealed through scripture.
Have a blessed day in Jesus.
timbob
appolus said
Greeting Timbob. I appreciate your comments and I totaly agree with what you say about uncharted territory and the changing world. Significant things are about to happen and there is definately a shift coming. What you wrote about Psalm 63 in interesting and ties in with a post that I wrote which is coming this week sometime. Here is a e-mail that I wrote to a lady in my church(which may develop into a post:) She was commenting that I seemed to be being used in the prayer meetings of late. This was reply to her, see how you think it relates to psalm 63(bearing in mind that this was written in the widerness)…….
I appreciate your words. Here’s the deal Tammi, all I want is Him. In fact I really only ever pray for that. I know it sounds selfish, but if I am not walking with Him and in Him then there is really no point to my life. I have told the Lord that I want nothing more than Him and if I cannot have it I would rather He take me home. I have seen and walked in the futility of “life,”(as a Christian mind you) and there is nothing in this life that I want. I prayed the Moses prayer and told the Lord that the only way I want to move forward is if He is with me. I also fast on a Wednesday in preparation for the prayer meeting.
I think it all boils down to being in His presence or seeking His presence. I think that should be our permanent state. I know that sounds too simple, but I believe that this is the essence of our lives in Christ. The Scripture that I gave last night I think sums it up. “To know that which surpasses knowledge.” Seems like a contradiction, but if the Lord says that we can know what surpasses knowledge, then we can. It also means that we cannot know the height or the depth or the width of His love by the head, it has to be “experienced.” I think that as a church we should always be seeking to come into His presence, it should be foremost in everything we do. For God is not powerful, He is power. God does not have authority, He is authority. If I am in Him, in His presence, then I am moving and abiding in power and authority, it automatically comes with being in His presence. In His presence I am changed, In His presence I have fullness of Joy, In His presence mysteries are revealed, In His presence I am healed, In His presence, offenses melt away like wax, In His presence I experience eternity, In His presence is the essence of Hope, In His presence I dwell in power, In His presence the crossed wires of my dysfunctional life are uncrossed. And since I am still in the flesh, in His presence I abide under the shadow of His wings, and even that shadow is brighter than a thousand suns. And when I necessarily come out of that presence(oh that I would dwell there forever) then I take a small portion with me, a portion of change, a portion of joy, a sense of His mystery, a portion of healing, I love more than I am offended because I care less about myself,my hope is increased, my knowledge of eternity and the eternal destination of my soul is greater, and I am less dysfunctional and more like Him. Then I pass on a small part of that to those I encounter and God is glorified and I am encouraged and I begin again to hunger and thirst for that place and attempt to do whatever to come into that place again. I am totally addicted to the presence of God and it is my one and only motivation to even live.
Just as an aside, in the last year I have “suffered,” the loss of the last vestiges of what would bring me pleasure. The thought of a grandchild(no longer a possibility, at least in the natural)lost all desire to travel(a thing that I always loved to do) my wee dog died, and the culmination I think was to experience major rejection when I traveled to Scotland from the people who are nearest and dearest to me(perhaps the greatest sting of all) By the way, that was a fulfillment of the word that brother Roger prayed over me at your house and it did come to pass. Yet, I count these losses as something that is light and momentary, as rubbish, in comparison to the glories o heaven. Surely we get a glimpse of heaven as we dwell at the foot of the cross? The cross is a place of death to the flesh, so very painful on one hand, yet the price of entrance into His presence. May the Lord grant us the grace to continually come to the place of entrance into His presence…………………………….brother Frank
appolus said
Psalms 63:1-11 (KJV)
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
micey said
beautiful post… sometimes i put myself down for not praying enough, but i think about the Lord all day long and I speak to Him here and there and He is always on my mind, like when you have a new love in your life, you can’t stop thinking of that person… only this is sooo much better because it is perfect love… and then i don’t feel so bad for not having the perfect praying method, because like you said, it can become such a burden to try to pray the same way all the time… and like you and your friend being close enough to not talk all the time, comfortable silence… sometimes it is enough to know He is with me wherever I am… 🙂
appolus said
Hi Micey, thanks for dropping by. You said……..”sometimes it is enough to know He is with me wherever I am.” Amen sister, I think this is everything. To “know,” He is with you, its the essence of Christianity……….Frank
Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said
Oh, our Lord is so humorous!
Soon after I had written in my last comment that I’ll shortly check the links (DV) which you, Frank, had posted before, I really tried to do it. Since the second link was the older one, I clicked on it first. However, there I saw a newer post top right which asked, “Do you pray continually?”
The question jumped out on me and I felt urged to read more. However, I could only read the first lines until “Prayer is our relationship with God.” Yep! Immediately I left the computer and “abandoned the world”. At least I thought I’d do that. While praying Jesus made me laugh again and again until I laughed myself to tears. Suddenly He asked me, “Why did you withdraw for prayer?”
🙄
“Uh, hmm…because I thought I should do it now.” I was a bit confuzzled about this question. Then He asked, “When was your last prayer before?” This question amazed me all the more since I wanted to answer, “In the early morning.” But I couldn’t remember having prayed at all. “I have no clue, ” I replied instead. “Didn’t you happen to notice that you are praying continually since Tuesday at 4 o’clock in the morning?”
How strange is that…?
Maybe I would have noticed it when I had fallen out of this continual prayer state, I don’t know. The only thing I remember is that I have been sleeping little during all those nights because His light was way too bright. 😉
Nonetheless, I have read your article here and I love it. It is so helpful to know that prayer is as easy as breathing. Even babies breathe without knowing it. And if a baby becomes a little child that has learned to speak, it will be able to whisper, “Jesus, I love you” all day long until it forgets to speak on because of His love.
PS
Hopefully, I will be able to check the other links later on (DV, ya know) 🙂