Advent Day 12

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"With everything else this season requires of us, God instructs us to pray without ceasing. It’s not only our continual prayer that He calls us to, but a continual position of gratitude. Give thanks in all  circumstances, Paul reminds. All circumstances. This is surely easier said than practiced. A pray-without-ceasing-with-an-attitude-of-gratitude lifestyle takes intentional effort and cultivation. Most of us do not inhabit this space by default, and without work.

To pray this way, we have to turn from our traditional view of prayer, where we sit still with folded hands and closed eyes for a time. To live out the prayer described here, requires that our very lives essentially become a prayer. We have to become aware of our need, and our complete and utter inability to create for ourselves the life God intends for us. Only in true humility, can we learn what it looks like to pray without ceasing. This kind of prayer can only come from recognizing and confessing our complete inability to do life on our own terms. We need God’s help, every hour, and so we discover in this recognition of our tremendous need, what it means to pray without ceasing."

~Kris Camealy, p56.

Today's reading was such a good reminder of the type of prayer God calls us to. And Kris has so much more to say on this in the rest of today's reading. Oh Lord, may my life become a prayer.

Resources:
Come, Lord Jesus: The Weight of Waiting by Kris Camealy. Available at Amazon.
Come, Lord Jesus Advent Book Club at Creative and Free.
Visit my church's website where we are offering a weekly Advent theme devotion and resources on our blog: Grace Church