THINK ABOUT IT

“Pray without ceasing.” (I Thessalonians 5:17) How do you do that? Has that question ever come to you? Do you wonder how, in all the busy times in your life you can possibly pray all the time since, after all, that is what to pray without ceasing seems to mean?
With the many examples and teachings we have of the prayers of Jesus, we know He did not always position Himself on His knees in a private area to pray. The one example that immediately comes to my mind is of the gravesite of Lazarus when Jesus used prayer as an example for those standing there: “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me." (John 11:41b-42) Jesus took advantage of the moment. It wasn’t the length of the prayer we have recorded in John, chapter 17, but still shows His life as an open line of communication with His Father. Think about it.
Lately between our own family and dear friends, my heart goes to God more often than ever with thought and prayer on a regular basis. As a result I am frequently in memory of a discussion I had with John's very wise and wonderful Nana who lived 107+ years and who I believe, loved and taught about the Lord from the time she was able to think! We didn’t have a lot of time together and on one brief visit I noted that she had several handwritten pages tucked inside the flyleaf of her Bible that I assumed to be a list of folks for whom she prayed on a faithful basis. If my assumption was correct, and if as I suspect, her retreat to the guest room each morning, noon, and evening was to pray, she was indeed a faithful prayer warrior. On one particular day I said something to her about finding time to pray for so many people who were on my mind and her comment that has stayed with me this quarter-century in between was, "I believe that just a thought is a prayer." If her wisdom was/is correct than many more prayers than even those of which I am very consciously aware have been and are being prayed!
Just think about it! And continue to pray without ceasing.
© Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 4-29-09