What is it to Pray Without Ceasing?

James Smith

1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing.

Some have professed to wonder at this direction of the Apostle Paul, as if it ordained a practice incompatible with the discharge of other duties which are also necessary. But the example of the Lord Jesus is at once the most impressive comment on it, and the most satisfactory explanation of it. He spoke a parable (Lk 18:1-8) to show His followers that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, illustrating in it the nature of that gracious importunity which will not be put off without an answer. He evidently intended His people to understand that in praying always – or as Paul expresses it here, in praying without ceasing – importunity is one element.

But Christ’s personal example shows that He does not mean, by always, uninterrupted prayer. None of Christ’s followers ever accomplished more active labour than He did or undertook engagements so numerous and so diversified. He abounded in preaching publicly, instructing privately, working miracles, in attending stated ordinances, personal visits, travelling from place to place, from the commencement of His ministry to its close. While engaged in these He could not be praying; yet He prayed always, prayed without ceasing. He was constantly in a devotional frame and was ready at any time to lay aside the duty He was pursuing, in order to lift up His soul to God. Combining then His example and His parable, we infer that the two leading elements in the ceaseless prayer commanded by the Apostle are an uninterrupted devotional frame of spirit and gracious importunity.

1. A Devotional or Prayerful Frame of Spirit

1. When I think of the nature of a devotional or prayerful frame of spirit, I indeed have reason to be ashamed and to ask myself whether, after all my profession and all my prayers, I have ever yet attained to such a spirit. It is a frame so utterly opposed to the ordinary spirit of the godless world, so elevated above its unbelief, that only the Spirit of grace and supplications can give it birth. To live as in the very presence of God, to maintain a constant sense of my spiritual wants and to hang by a childlike confidence on Him for the supply of them all, to lie low before Him as vile and unworthy and yet never to fail in my confidence that He will hear my cry and have respect to my imploring look, and so to be ready to turn to Him with all my wants, saying as Jacob, “I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me” – such is a devotional frame.

This frame does not arise from a sense of need or from a knowledge of God’s fullness and readiness to supply. It arises from the powerful blessing of the Spirit of prayer, shed abroad in the heart and drawing out the soul under a sense of its destitution and its confidence in God’s promises, to ask – believing that He will do exceeding abundantly above what can be asked, or even thought.

Like the other holy habits of the Christian life, which grow out of the enlivening and moulding influence of the truth as it is in Jesus, this habitual frame of devotion is not acquired in a moment, but gradually gathers constancy and strength. And though the foundation of it is ever the same and remains at all times within my reach, experience has taught me that, without the habitual exercise of prayer, a devotional frame dies away and refuses to return at my bidding. God’s promises are the same today as they were from the beginning; His readiness to fulfill them is unaltered; my need is as great as it was when I first felt it – indeed greater. The throne of grace is open to me at all times; there is not only no obstacle in the way, but there is a pressing invitation to come, because the way is clear. Yet if I have not been active in presenting my petitions before the Hearer of prayer, the knowledge of these truths leaves me little, if at all, impressed though they awaken the spirit of supplication so prayerfully in others. It is the practical use of them that gives the soul such ability and confidence to wrestle with God.

In order then to obey the apostolic precept, two things are necessary. (1.) My set times of prayer must not be neglected. The psalmist called on God seven times a day (Ps 119:164). He had one of these seven at midnight (Ps 119:62). If I do not set myself seven seasons of regular prayer, yet I must, to maintain a devotional frame, have stated hours for coming before God and allow nothing to interfere with them. (2.) Nor must I, between these times, drop the duty of looking up. Ejaculatory prayer is possible at all times. Whenever I am, I may secretly lift up my heart. It is here that the true secret of constant prayer lies. If I can but attain to the exercise of ejaculatory prayer, I shall pray without ceasing.

2. Importunity

1. But in praying always, importunity is as much an element as a devotional habit of mind. The importunity which pleases God and honours Him most is that which, grasping the faithfulness of His promises and His character as the Hearer of prayer, will not be put off without an answer. The answer may be delayed; indeed, to all appearance, it may seem denied. And when, after long looking up, the prayer remains before the throne but the blessing is withheld, it is indeed difficult for the soul to maintain its faith and prevent fainting. But grace, in a thousand instances, has enabled believers to persevere amidst apparent rebukes and refusals from God.

The woman of Canaan was thus tried. She implored Christ’s help, but He answered her not a word. She continued to cry, but He would not acknowledge her as one of Israel. She still implored compassion, but He called her a dog. And yet her importunity was not put to silence. She caught His words, acknowledged herself a dog, yet pled for a share of the children’s crumbs. Nor did she plead in vain. He had been but proving her faith, and having tried it, He removed the term of reproach, acknowledged her as one of His own, and gave her to the full, out of His heart, all that He had put into her heart to desire.

Thus I am to be importunate. The Hearer of prayer may be giving earnest heed to the prayer I offer when the answer is delayed; indeed He may be preparing the most gracious answer, and the most full, when He seems to frown me away. To pray without ceasing, when by His frown He says, as it were, “Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter”; this is indeed to be importunate. Such importunity shows that He Himself gives the grace and confidence to carry it on and leaves me no room to doubt that, if He does not see it suitable to give me my heart’s desire, he will give me far better, even His own heart’s desire.

^1^Taken, with editing, from The Christian’s Daily Companion. Smith (1806-62) was, when this piece was written, parish minister of Dumbarton.