Verse of the Day
“Pray without ceasing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV
Lesson of the Day
This verse means exactly what it says. The ERV says, never stop praying. Let me take the time to explain why I use the ERV. It simplifies the scriptures, which I find helpful. However, I often compare versions. You may use any version that helps you understand better. Please, look up scripture and read for yourself.
Now that I clarified that, let’s move on to today’s subject. Before you read scripture, no matter what version, always pray first and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning to you. Remember that the Bible is a living Word, so you may get insight that no one else does.
Praying is important. It is such a privilege. It gives us direct access to God. Prayer is communicating with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our mediator, so we pray in His name. When Adam and Eve sinned, they caused man to be separated from God. Without Jesus Christ’s sacrifice we would still be separated from God. God spoke to Adam in The Garden of Eden. Can you imagine talking to God face to face? Well, prayer is our face-to-face conversation with God.
Encouragement
Praying may feel intimidating at first because maybe you heard preachers and prayer warriors praying aloud and saying fancy prayers, but God doesn’t require that from us. He just wants us to call on Him and depend on Him. When He says pray without ceasing, He means talk to Him all of the time. You can pray silently in your mind and God will hear you. You can pray on your knees and He will hear you. You can pray anywhere at any time and God will be waiting and ready to hear from you. He wants to know everything that matters to you. Pray about everything. God wants that relationship with you. Pray for simple things like a closeup parking space. Pray when you are afraid. Pray for others. Pray for the future. Pray for answers. Pray your questions. No matter what you pray God hears you and He will answer your prayers. He answers every single prayer. God amazes me all the time. I pray to Him to find something I misplaced and then I begin to look believing that He will show me and He does. I go right to it or the thought comes in my mind and shows me exactly where it is. He has answered every single prayer that I’ve prayed to Him. I must say one last thing. You MUST believe that He will answer your prayers, because if you don’t then He won’t. Remember Salvation is about believing. If you believe that you are saved and going to live in Heaven for an eternity, then it shouldn’t be hard to believe that God can answer your prayers. He can do anything.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to You today in awe of Your power. You are capable of doing anything except for evil. You made a way for us to have a relationship with You. You want to hear from us and that means so much to us. There is no one like You. No father can compare to You. You love us unconditionally. We don’t have to wonder if You will answer our prayers because You ask us to pray always, which means You want to hear from us and You are more than willing to answer our prayers. Thank You Lord. Thank You. You are. You are. Forgive us for anything that we may have done that is displeasing to You. Guide us to the right path and give us the strength to live a righteous life. In Jesus Christ’s name we pray, amen.