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Pastor's Blog October 6, 2022
"1 Thessalonians 5"
I think we all would agree that prayer is vitally important preparation for the second coming of Jesus. But what if I told you that the kind of prayer needed in order to get ready for Jesus' return is unceasing prayer? Does this idea make you feel a little anxious? Well, that's exactly what 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: "Pray continually" (NIV).
The NKJV is probably a little more familiar to us - and potentially more arresting: "Pray without ceasing." Since we all have jobs to work, families to invest in, groceries to buy, chores to finish, and a million other responsibilities, how are we supposed to fulfill this instruction?! The answer is found in the word "continually." In Greek, the word Paul uses for "continually" basically means "uninterruptedly," though it can also mean "without omission" or even "without ceasing" in certain situations. The term conjures up images of not being distracted or diverted from your goal - not in the sense of someone never taking a break from it, but rather in the sense of someone always coming back to what they have chosen to do (in this case, pray).
So friends, pray continually: keep coming back to prayer and make it a regular and daily part of your life. And as for the necessity to never omit anything in prayer or praying non-stop? Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit and Jesus always pray for us (cf. Romans 8:26, 34), so rest in the knowledge that your prayer life is contained in the ever-present prayer lives of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
