Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]. Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus. —1 Thessalonians 5:17–18

If we don’t understand simple, believing prayer, that instruction can come down upon us like a very heavy burden. We may feel that we are doing well to pray thirty minutes a day, so how can we possibly pray without ever stopping? We need to have such confidence about our prayer life that prayer becomes just like breathing, an effortless thing that we do every moment we are alive. We don’t work and struggle at breathing, unless we have a lung disorder, and neither should we work and struggle at praying. I don’t believe we will struggle in this area if we really understand the power of simple, believing prayer.

If we don’t have confidence in our prayers, we will not pray very much, let alone pray without ceasing. Obviously the terminology “without ceasing” does not mean that we must be offering some kind of formal prayer every moment twenty-four hours a day. It means that all throughout the day we should be in a prayerful attitude. As we encounter each situation or as things come to our mind that need attention, we should simply submit them to God in prayer.

Lord, develop a prayerful attitude in me. Help me to make prayer as simple as breathing. Whatever comes my way, let me bring it to You in prayer. Amen.