I pray that this Sunday finds you well.
If receiving this Sunday email on prayer is a new thing for you, then welcome. I’m glad I get to spend a few minutes with you.
Last week I mentioned that my life is being transformed as I realize prayer isn’t just another “thing” to do; it’s the thing that brings everything we do together.
This week I’d like to offer a thought on living in prayer, or prayer as a way of life.
I’m often asked, “How long should I pray for?”
The problem with this question, and any answer I may offer, is that it places boundaries on prayer, reducing it to something that starts and stops, making it a box that we check before we get on with our day.
But God’s design for prayer is too robust to fit into a transaction. Even the Lord’s Prayer is a framework, not a formula. (We’ll come back to this in the coming weeks.)
The truth is God wants to have words with you. And having words with him is less like starting the conversation and more like joining it. This is one of the reasons why Paul tells us to pray constantly—God desires constant communion with us (1 Thess. 5:17, Rom. 12:12).
As an early church father put it, “For we can only accept the saying ‘pray ceaselessly’ as realistic if we say that the whole life of the Saint is one mighty, integrated prayer.”
Response
Praying without ceasing is not a constant chore . . . it’s an invitation into a place of ongoing rest, a place where we recognize that the Lord is at hand, and we can and will face whatever lies before us.
Closing Thoughts
Next week, I think I’ll share a three-word prayer from Words with God that I use to center myself when fear or anxiety chase my peace away.
For now, as you move into this week, remember that prayer is more about joining the conversation than starting it. In both silence and sound, God has words for you.
Until next Sunday,
Addison
P.S. In case you don’t have yours yet, Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection is now available as an ebook, book, or audiobook! Click here to get yours.
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