Have you ever been riding in the car and listening to the radio, kinda singing in your head, but carrying on a conversation with someone else in the car? Or, perhaps you remember doing your homework and listening to the radio at the same time. Somehow we are able to sing the words to the song — either in our minds or out loud — and do our homework or carry on that conversation. Somehow, we were not distracted even though there was this beautiful background music playing.

God asks us to pray that way.

“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.

God asks us to rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances, and pray without ceasing. He doesn’t say to do this only when things are going well. No matter what the circumstances are or what is going on around us, He asks us to pray without ceasing.

Psalm 141:2 compares our prayers to incense which is a sweet aroma to God. “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2. When we pray without ceasing, we are lifting up Beautiful Background Music of prayers; a sweet aroma to God.

On the surface, when we look at these verses, we have to think, “How could I possibly rejoice always. How could I pray without ceasing or give thanks in all circumstances?” It would seem to us that there are certain trials in which that would be far too difficult. And it would seem that we would be unable to focus on anything but the trial. So, how could we pray without ceasing?

I think that we should look at the “pray without ceasing” portion of this verse first because that is the part that assists us in accomplishing the other portions of these verses.

That is how we pray without ceasing.

A while ago, I shared about the night that God called me to tell three young people about Him. I mentioned to you that, the whole time that I was talking to them, I was praying. My prayer was that God would give me the words that they needed to hear. I prayed that, when our time on earth was through, they would have come to know Him. And I prayed that we would all rejoice in glory someday over what God was accomplishing during this conversation. Somehow, I was able to pray to God throughout the entire conversation with these young people.

When we question how we can pray without ceasing, we are lacking faith and trust in God and His word. In His word, would God ask us to do something that is impossible to do? Of course not. Why would a loving Heavenly Father do that?

In Jeremiah 33:3 God says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

And, Jeremiah 29:12 says, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

1 John 5:14 tells us, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

So, based on the promises in these verses, we know that God hears us, will speak to us, and answer our prayers. How then are we not able to rejoice always, give thanks in all circumstances and pray without ceasing?

We have a loving Heavenly Father who longs to hear our voices. He desires to bless us and do good through — and for — us.

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

And Psalm 46:1 tells us that He “is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Romans 8:28 says, “God will turn all things good to those who love Him and are called to His purpose.”

With promises like these, we can “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.

We have to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

I pray that today, your prayers would be the beautiful background music of your entire day. And that you would pray without ceasing.  I also pray that those prayers would start with giving thanks for the bountiful blessings the Father has poured out on us, the greatest of which is our precious and faithful Savior and our Helper, the Holy Spirit. I also pray that you would rejoice in His goodness and our salvation.

Have you wondered why you feel like God isn’t listening when you pray? Have you never really prayed at all? I assure you that God is listening and He loves the sound of your voice! He loves YOU! And He wants an intimate, personal, relationship with you; one in which you would pray to Him and that you might even do it without ceasing. 🙂

To have that loving and personal relationship with God though, requires a simple heartfelt prayer of repentance. There is a prayer like this, outlined on our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/). Once you pray that prayer, through the sacrifice of our precious Savior, Jesus, you will be forgiven. And the door to an intimate relationship with God will be flung open wide.

Once you have prayed that prayer, please contact me at admin@Forgiven-N-loved.com. I’d love to pray with and for you. I’d also love to help you grow in your relationship and knowledge of the Lord. Then, you can begin to make your prayers the beautiful background music of your life!

Luv Ya!

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9.