Pray without Ceasing
Fred Pruitt
I finally understood what Paul said, maybe, when he talked about being ''always'' praying. In my beginning days, ''prayer'' was a hard thing to do, a chore, but a means to an end I thought. Two ends, maybe. One, finding God. (That one won out.) Two, solving the world's and my problems. (Didn't have as much luck with that one.)
I can't think of a moment these days where God is not there and there is not prayer. Paul said, ''Pray without ceasing,'' and what a tall order, huh?! Ever try fulfilling that?
But these days the only life I know is prayer. Not like a church service or something, though it could be. I'm not talking about being holy joe.
I just mean that the flow of life around us spontaneously pulls God out of our depths into manifested light in the world. And I think as He is pulled out of us the Spirit groans within us with words that cannot be uttered. They are the constant undercurrent of our lives. A river of living water, which we consciously or unconsciously utter in our hearts and minds and sometimes with our mouths.
God in our beginning days is a foreign concept, a step into the unknown, an untried promise.
But our faith settles and what we sought long ago to do, ''pray without ceasing'', has become as naturally incessant as breathing, for there is no other air to breathe, save the Breath of God, no other food to eat, save the Word of God.
If we lie in the gutter, or sit on a throne, no other air, no other food.
Well, since God is All in all and everything, even down to the minutest level and up to the most vast reaches of interstellar space, is composed of and consists of HIM, I'm so glad John tells us, ''God is Love.
