Constant in Prayer

A compilation


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Prayer is the basis of our Christian life, the source of our experience of Jesus as the Risen Lord. Yet how few Christians know how to pray with any depth! For most of us, prayer means little more than standing in the pews for an hour or so on Sunday morning or perhaps reciting, in a mechanical fashion, prayers once learned by rote during childhood. Our prayer life—and thus our life as Christians—remains, for the most part, at this superficial level.

But this approach to the life of prayer has nothing to do with the Christianity of St. Paul, who urges the Christians of first century Thessalonica to “pray without ceasing.”1 And in his letter to Rome, the Apostle instructs the Christian community there to “be constant in prayer.”2 He not only demands unceasing prayer of the Christians in his care, but practices it himself. “We constantly thank God for you”3 he writes in his letter to the Thessalonian community; and he comforts Timothy, his “true child in the faith,”4 with the words: “Always I remember you in my prayers.”5

In fact, whenever Paul speaks of prayer in his letters, two Greek words repeatedly appear: pantote, which means always, and adialeptos, meaning without interruption orunceasingly. Prayer is then not merely a part of life which we can conveniently lay aside if something we deem more important comes up; prayer is all of life. Prayer is as essential to our life as breathing.

This raises some important questions. How can we be expected to pray all the time? We are, after all, very busy people. Our work, our spouse, our children, our school—all place heavy demands upon our time. How can we fit more time for prayer into our already overcrowded lives? These questions and the many others like them which could be asked set up a false dichotomy in our lives as Christians. To pray does not mean to think about God in contrast to thinking about other things or to spend time with God in contrast to spending time with our family and friends. Rather, to pray means to think and live our entire life in the presence of God. As Paul Evdokimov has remarked: “Our whole life, every act and gesture, even a smile must become a hymn or adoration, an offering, a prayer. We must become prayer—prayer incarnate.” This is what St. Paul means when he writes to the Corinthians that “whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.”6—Father Steven Peter Tsichlis7

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One of the best ways to put our thoughts to good use is to turn them into prayers. Think of all the things you think about throughout the day—all the things you deliberately think about and all the random thoughts that run through your head. Now size them up and ask yourself what your thoughts are accomplishing. Are you transforming your thoughts into prayers that can bring about some good?

Are your thoughts being turned into prayers to help sustain a soul in need? Or are they turning a blind eye to the one who cries for help? Are you tapping into heavenly power through prayer? Are you directing your thoughts to where they can make a positive difference?

It’s clear by everything that is written in the Bible about prayer that God wants us to learn to convert our thoughts into prayer by praying for people and situations instead of just thinking about them. Thoughts turned into prayers can materialize into God’s blessings, intervention, protection, power, strength, or healing balm.

We can turn thoughts into prayer anytime, anywhere. For example, if you’re at home cooking and your thoughts turn to your kids at school, you can pray that they’ll have a good day. Or if while at work you start thinking about a difficult upcoming project, you can turn that thought into a prayer for the Lord’s strength for the task. Or maybe you pass by an accident while driving home; you can pray for those who may have been hurt, as well as for your own safety and others’ safety on the road.

How you direct your thoughts can make a difference. As you learn to turn your thoughts into prayers, sending them on to where they can accomplish some genuine good, it will make your life easier and bring about progress.—Maria Fontaine

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Prayer is not so much an act as it is an attitude—an attitude of dependency, dependency upon God.—Arthur W. Pink

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Because prayer is an expression of man’s personal life with a personal God, it readily assumes the forms and characteristics of personal life. We know that conversation between persons does not take place according to certain prescribed rules and regulations, but occurs freely and spontaneously as the occasion may require. That is what makes conversation personal, gives it life and freshness. The more personal conversation is in this sense of the word, the more it becomes real communication, a mutual exchange of ideas in which life speaks to life.

So also with prayer. It should be free, spontaneous, vital fellowship between the created person and the personal Creator, in which life should touch life. The more that prayer becomes the untrammelled, free, and natural expression of the desires of our hearts, the more real it becomes.—Ole Hallesby

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O Lord God who art all in all to me, Life of my life and Spirit of my spirit, have mercy on me and fill me with Thy Holy Spirit and with love that there may be no room for anything else in my heart.

I ask not for any blessing, but for Thyself, who art the giver of all blessings and of all life. I ask not for the world and its pomp and glory, nor for heaven, but I need Thee Thyself, for where Thou art, there is heaven.

In Thyself alone is satisfaction and abundance for my heart; Thou Thyself, O Creator, hast created this heart for Thyself, and not for any other created thing. Therefore this heart cannot find rest in aught but Thee: only in Thee, O Father, who hast made this longing for peace. So now take out of this heart whatever is opposed to Thee and abide and rule in it Thyself. Amen.—Prayer of Sadhu Sundar Singh

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Search for the Lord and his strength. Always seek his presence.—1 Chronicles 16:118

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Prayer is the golden thread running through the beautiful tapestry of your life. That golden thread brings spark and life to the picture. A little speck of gold here or there would add to the tapestry, but what I want you to aim for is to make that golden thread an unbroken line weaving in and out of every part of the picture—every part of your life and work for Me. Keep the prayer fires burning in your heart, and My power will give a golden shine to all the work that you put your hand to.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy

Published on Anchor February 2014 @tfi. Read by Bethany Kelly. Music by Daniel Sozzi.


1 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

2 Romans 12:12.

3 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

4 See 1 Timothy 1:2.

5 2 Timothy 1:3.

6 1 Corinthians 10:31.

7 Fr. Steven Peter Tsichlis in The Jesus Prayer, Greek Orthodox Diocese of America.

8 GW.