Introduction
In the earlier
lessons on prayer and the person who prays, we learned several key things from
the Bible. We learned prayer is communing with God – speaking and listening. We
learned how to approach God without our heart, mind, and soul by recognizing
key things about God. Besides these, the Bible teaches us how to pray –
petitioning for self, others, and enemies, adoring and thanking God, and
confession and repentance. Added to this, we learned about some of the
attributes, attitudes, and actions of an effective person of prayer. The first four
are:
·
The person has a righteousness which comes from
God
·
The person has a belief God has the power to do
what is necessary to change things and answer prayers.
·
The person meets God in solitude so he or she is
not distracted and does not seek acclaim for his or her piety from other
people. God hears in secret and rewards in secret.
·
The person of prayer is watchful and alert
In this week’s
lesson from the Bible, we will learn another attribute, attitude, or action of
the person of effective prayer. That person will pray ceaselessly. This lesson
comes from what Jesus and Paul taught. Ceaseless prayer does more than just
activate God’s working for the thing about which a person prays. It changes and
grows the person who prays. Ceaseless prayer prepares the person who prays. Finally,
it aids in the progress of the Gospel.
Ceaseless Prayer
A person who
seeks God in prayer should pray ceaselessly. Jesus taught ceaseless prayer to
His disciples and others who followed Him in Luke 18. Paul taught it to the
Ephesians, Thessalonians, and Colossians. What did these mean say that taught
Christians through the ages to persevere in prayer and pray at all times?
Luke 18:1-8.
In Luke 18:1-8,
Jesus instructed His disciples to pray always and not give up. Luke said in
this passage Jesus taught that “at all times they ought to pray and not to lose
heart.” We understand from these words that prayers can and should be made to
God any time. People do not have to pray just at meals, bedtime, or in church.
That seems easy enough to learn from this passage; yet a deeper message is
found here. Luke used a Greek word that translates into English as “ought.”
“Ought” comes from the word dei meaning
is necessary because it God decreed and established it; and is needed. Jesus taught this in Luke 11:5-10 when
He taught His disciples to pray. He told them ask and keep on asking, seek and
keep on seeking, and knock and keep on knocking. Jesus taught and commanded His
disciples to pray in these passages. Prayer is not an option for Christians.
That is the first point in Luke’s passages. The second point is we should pray persistently
like the widow woman going incessantly to the judge and like the neighbor going
to his neighbor asking for bread. God will answer the prayers of His children
who pray with right motives. The Judge will mete out justice and the Provider
will give everything needed for life. Pray and pray ceaselessly to the Father.
Jesus ended
this passage with a question. He asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He
find faith on the earth?” When Jesus Christ returns at the end of the ages to
take His followers home to live with Him and the Father eternally, will He find
the faith of His followers stayed strong during the calm and the crises? Will
the followers have shared the Gospel so faith in Jesus exists when He returns?
Prayer is a command. It comes with a promise. Being a child of God means more
than getting what we ask from God. It means loving by obeying God in all things.
That includes going into the whole world making disciples. Prayer is communing
with God – speaking and listening. Listening includes obedience. Are you
praying? Are you praying ceaselessly? Are you obeying God so Jesus will find
faith on the earth when He returns?
He asked, “Would
the returned Christ find faith like this on earth when He returns?” Will people
who call themselves believers have continual faith in crisis and calm and still
follow Him?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Paul taught on
ceaseless prayer, too. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul wrote to encourage the new
converts to Christianity. Most of these converts would have come out of a
gentile background though some could have been Jews since a synagogue existed
there. In 1Thessalonians 5:12-22, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about church
life. He taught on living in peace, admonishing the unruly, etc. In verses 16-18, Paul told them, “Rejoice
always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus.” He taught them to pray, thank, and rejoice always and
ceaselessly. “Without ceasing” comes from the Greek word adialeiptos and means without intermission, incessantly, without
ceasing. With no pause for anything – trials, meals, work, etc. – Paul taught
Christians to pray always. Notice, too, he did not tell them to pray if they
felt like it. Paul commanded the Christians at Thessalonica to pray. As Jesus
did in Luke 11 and 18, he told these new Christians prayer is commanded by God.
It permits God’s Spirit to work in a believer, and through and for a believer.
Paul mentioned that in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 when he said, “Do not quench the
Spirit.” Prayer is commanded by God to grow you more Christlike, to grow your
relationship with God, to bring God’s will to pass in and through you, to
glorify God, and to praise and thank God. Prayer is commanded so God’s children
can commune with Him and His “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is
speaking and listening to God and then acting upon what God told His child as a
love offering of obedience to Him. “Pray without ceasing,” Paul said. God
commands it. He will listen to the selfless prayers of the righteous person.
Ephesians 6:18.
Paul continues to
teach on prayer in Ephesians. In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul taught the believers
they could have strength while going through spiritual conflict. In this
section of his letter, he taught the Ephesian believers about the armor of God
and its purposes. After going through the visible pieces of armor a Roman
soldier wore at that time, Paul told them of the greatest part of the armor
available to God’s children. He said in Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and
petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the
alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Paul makes
multiple points in this verse. The first point is we must come toward the Lord with
the intimacy we have with Him due to our relationship with Him and petition His
help. “Prayer” comes from the Greek word proseuche
which means toward or closeness/intimacy with God to pray. We are so intimate
with God we commune with and ask from Him our need, give a vow, and thank or
praise Him. In Ephesians 6: 10-20, Paul taught the believers to put on the
armor of God and in the intimacy and closeness he or she has with God, ask Him
to provide safety against spiritual assault.
The second
point Paul made in this verse is he told them to petition God at all times,
not just at day or night, or good or bad times, but at all times. He used the
same words Jesus used in Luke 21:36 when He said, “But keep on the alert at all
times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are
about to take place, and to stand firm before the Son of Man.” God will hear
and answer the prayers of His children whenever we offer them to Him.
The third point
Paul made was that the petitions to God must be made in the Spirit. When a
person becomes a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God
and the Savior from the penalty of sin, Jesus gives His Holy Spirit to live in
that person. The Spirit within the believer teaches, edifies, rebukes, and
corrects. It intercedes for the believer when he or she does not know how to
pray, how to put into words what needs to be said (Romans 8:26-27). The Spirit
within the believer communes in prayer with God. The believer joins with the
Father so the intimacy with God, of which Paul spoke, with the prayers prayed
bring about from God the strength and power needed to safeguard the child of
God from the attacks of Satan.
Other points in
this passage state what we have learned in this Bible study and in the earlier
ones. The child of God is to be alert and pray with perseverance. Christians
must be alert to what is happening around them and others. They must learn by
having spent time with God what is of God and what is of Satan so he or she
knows how to pray to God. This prayer to God during spiritual warfare, Paul
said, must persevere, be ceaseless, and be persistent. It must be a prayer like
Jesus taught in the parable of the importunate widow or the neighbor knocking
on his friend’s door late at night for bread to feed travelers. Until God
answers, the believer must continue to pray for God’s intervention in the
matter. We must petition God night and day every day until the battle is won
and God answers, then rejoicing, thanking, and glorifying God must happen in
our prayers, words, and actions. Prayer is commanded of God’s children. By it,
believers commune with the Father. Through its ceaseless utterance, Christians
draw near and develop an intimacy with God, acquire an alertness of what is
happening be it evil or good, petition appropriately and through God’s Spirit, and
with perseverance, God’s will prevails. God gives the victory, and His children
grow in faith in Him. Pray. Pray ceaselessly. The growth in a believer’s life
will astound.
Colossians 1:9.
In the final Bible
passage of this lesson, Paul taught the Colossians about ceaseless prayer and
what it effects in a person. Twice Paul said in this letter he prayed always
and did not cease to pray for the Colossians. In verse three, he said they
prayed always for them with thanks to God for giving them the truth and saving
them from their sins. Prayers to God as we know include thanks. Praying always
in thanks shows how we can rejoice always. More than this verse, though, we
must look at verse nine. It shows us the depths of ceaseless prayer.
Paul, in
Colossians 1:9 said, “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we
have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the
knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” He continued
in later verses saying this will lead to spiritual growth, pleasing God,
bearing fruit, being strengthened with God’s might, and giving joyous thanks to
the Father for an inheritance in His eternal kingdom. Heresy within the
community beset the church at Colossae. From Paul’s letter, the heresy appeared
to be an extreme form of Judaism and an early form of Gnosticism. Gnosticism
was a belief that sought mystical knowledge to gain salvation. Its adherents believed
all matter is corrupt, but a spark of the “true” god’s spirit exists in each
person.
By understanding
these two heresies helps with understanding what Paul wrote in Colossians 1:9.
The most important part of this verse for our current study, though, is Paul
said they did not cease to pray for the church at Colossae. This word “pray” is
the same word used in Ephesians 6:18. This praying is expressing a wish/desire/need
toward God. The act of praying here focused on the person – God - toward whom
Paul prayed not toward the person who prayed - Paul. Paul prayed ceaselessly to
God, the only One who could bring truth into the situation, to fill the
Colossian Christians with the knowledge of Him – His will, spiritual wisdom,
and spiritual understanding. Ceaseless praying recognizes that only by God’s
hand will the situation be fixed, the person be helped, and the spiritual
battle be won. Recognizing the extent and magnitude of God’s power and help
needed, instills in a person praying the absolute need for God’s power, might,
and wisdom in the situation and each circumstance. This creates the awareness
praying must always be ceaseless. Nothing a person says or does on his or her
own can remedy any situation. When a believer realizes that, an understanding
that ceaseless prayer is necessary for all things, days, and times occurs.
In this
passage, Paul proclaimed he prayed to God for the Colossian believers. By his
witness at the love and power of God, he taught the Christians there to pray
for this and all things, too. Paul modeled the great extent to which prayer
could go. He spoke of and taught by example about unending/ceaseless prayer,
its necessity, and the depth of God’s love for His children. Paul taught prayer
is a necessity for a Christian, not a “last resort” aid.
Relevance and Conclusion
These verses
remind us prayer is about being in relationship with the Father, not making
prayer just an emergency lifeline. Prayer is communing with God – speaking and
listening, listening which brings about obedience to God’s will. Prayer should happen
at all times - day and night, good and bad times. Prayer at all times shows
persistence like the widow who kept begging the judge for justice; it grows the
faith of the person. When God answers prayer, a person’s faith grows. Praying
allows the Holy Spirit to work in the believer. From praying, a person can be
filled with God’s will in spiritual wisdom and understanding. That person can
be made alert and know when something is from God and when not. From the Greek
word, we learn to pray focuses on God and not on one’s self. It shifts the
focus from one’s wants and needs to the Provider of all things who is greater
than the person praying/petitioning God. Prayer for one’s self and experiencing
God’s blessing because of it grows a person and fills him or her with the Spirit.
That teaches the person to pray for all the saints to grow in the wisdom and
understanding of God.
Each of these
lessons from the four passages studied teaches us the necessity of ceaseless
prayer. It is commanded by God. Ceaseless prayer focuses our sight on Him
(develops our communion with Him). It calls Him to work to take care of our
needs, Ceaseless prayer changes and grows us and our faith. It prepares us for
what will come, and aids in the progress of the Gospel. We realize our focus
should not be on our problems and what we need, but upon God who opens His
storehouses to give all we need for life now and life eternal. Ceaseless prayer
makes us wise to know when we are battling the forces of Satan and should focus
more on God and asking Him to make us stand to strong with and for Him. Mostly,
we should pray ceaselessly because Jesus commanded and taught it. He said ask
and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking for if
we do these, we shall receive, find, and have the door to God open to us.
What keeps you
from praying to God? Do you not believe He is real? Do you not trust He is able
to help you? Do you not believe He loves you and wants you to be His child? If
you answered yes to the last three questions, you are listening to lies of
Satan.
Believe in God.
Even the demons
believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and tremble (James 2:19).
Believe in God’s power.
God who made
heaven and earth in its intricacies, who forms a baby from a sperm and egg, who
made the first man and woman out of dirt, and who took Jesus Christ up to
heaven after His resurrection, can help you. He wants to help you with anything
you need because He loves you.
Believe God loves you.
God sent His
only Son, Jesus, to die your death penalty and then rise from the dead to life
again so you and all people will not suffer eternal death, but could have
eternal life with Him in His kingdom (John 3:16).
God loves you.
Prayer is
communing with God. You can commune with God when you confess and repent of
your sins. Accept Jesus Christ as you Savior. Believe He is the Son of God. You
can commune with God and He commands it. He wants to be in an intimate
relationship with you. Pray without ceasing. Praying toward/focusing on God
makes your relationship with Him vital and growing.
Receive the righteousness of God.
Repent.
Believe in the power of God to effect
change.
Pray in solitude. God will hear you.
Be Alert and pray.
Pray to God without ceasing.
