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1 Thess. 5: 17 Pray without ceasing

Some years ago we had a schoolmate from an eastern European country. He used to stop frequently as he walked on campus, clasp his hands, close his eyes and pray, then in a few minutes he would do it again. He said he was “praying without ceasing”. A little odd, right?

When my mother visits with her sister it is always a great time for them. They settle down to talk and they do that for hours. Oh, they do other things too. They cook, wash dishes and all those housey things, but in the meantime they talk. They are not very talkative persons, but together they just have a lot to share. Do you have anybody you really love to talk with? You don’t have to try to find things to talk about. It just happens. You can be yourself and say your stuff. That is real friendship.

God wants to have a relationship like that with you. I was reading what Carrol Johnson Shewmake said about her devotional relationship with God. She said at first she couldn’t find much to pray about and even fell asleep during prayer. One morning very early, she went to the office, pulled up two chairs, sat down in one and told the Lord that the other one was for Him. From then on she would sit and talk with God as if a good friend was sitting in that chair. After a while she was enjoying her time of prayer so much that she was always sorry when the prayer time was over and she had to go.

Now, listen to this. It came to her one day that she did not have to leave the Lord in the office, so she invited Him to go with her into the kitchen, talking to Him while she cooked; then she took Him into the washroom with her while she washed, and so on, right throughout the day. She wasn’t always talking, as such, but she was conscious all through the day that He was there, saying this and that to Him every now and then. That’s how she learned to pray without ceasing.

I believe that is how Enoch walked with God; constantly keeping Him near and talking to Him about every little thing as they went through the day. God enjoyed it so much He decided to take Enoch home that they could spend even more time together. Pray without ceasing. You’ll enjoy it to the max.

Dear Lord, teach me to find joy in your presence and to love it as I pray without ceasing, in Jesus’ name, amen.