Come and Pray!
“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
This Sunday, the saints of Tremont Temple will meet at 9:00am in Currie Chapel to obey God’s call to pray. The church, as far as I know, has always obeyed this command in some measure, as we pray corporately in worship and as individuals, we do daily. But we are seeking to up our game in order to train ourselves to depend more on God, who not only provides our daily bread, but who sustains our faith to the end. A challenging commanding God’s Word to this end is found in 1 Thessalonians 5. Paul wrote to particular Christians in Greece, but God superintended it for us and for every believer until Jesus comes back.
We’re commanded to “Rejoice always,” an impossible task if we buy into a superficial definition of “rejoice.” But if we take rejoicing to be a faith-infused joy that’s beyond the reach of bitterest trials, we can begin to understand how a believer with eternal hope can rejoice no matter what. Next, Paul issues another seemingly impossible command: “pay without ceasing.” We want to push back and says, “How about once a day for more than 10 minutes!” That might even seem like a tall task for some of us. But again, it’s how we define, “without ceasing.” Certainly, Paul isn’t saying that we should quit our jobs, go into the closet, and pray 24/7. In fact, he tells the Thessalonians, “If any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thess. 3:10. So how can we pray without ceasing? Certainly, we should take every opportunity to set ourselves aside to pray and build into our lives a godly discipline that makes time to do so. But “without ceasing” to my mind is a reference to a conversation with God throughout your day. Maybe more of us, as we walk the hallway to the restroom at school, or to the cafeteria at work, or on our commute should be accused of talking to ourselves. God knows that we’re talking to him, even if quietly, even at times, if our lips aren’t moving. I think that gets at what Paul means. It’s almost a natural conversation taking place because of your awareness that God is here - he’s always with you. And who is more interesting or powerful or precious than God? Our push for corporate prayer is only one manifestation of a life of ceaseless prayer and we should take advantage of it!
Paul goes on to offer a 3rd seemingly impossible command: “give thanks in all circumstances.” this is similar to the rest one, “Rejoice always.” Giving thanks to God is easy when things are working out, but it’s the mark of a Christian alone to thank God from the midst of the shambles. To know that God has a purpose for you even there. I think that praying without ceasing reinforces our relationship with our Father, and so we can receive trials and tribulations along with joys from a Father who we are always in conversation with - who we know to be trustworthy and loving towards us.
What is meant by that last bit, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”? It is God’s revealed will for us that we would be happy people of prayer no matter what our circumstances may be. Why? Well, as we are reminded so often in prayer, we are treasured sons and daughters of a benevolent king. And soon, every good thing that God has promised will be unveiled before our very eyes.
If this isn’t a reason to join us this Sunday at 9:00am at Currie Chapel for prayer, I don’t know what could be.
