“…Pray continually…” 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Almost as powerful as meditation and certainly easier for people who would be perfectly happy to set aside time for solitary contemplation in a quiet place if they could find the hour and the place and the quiet–is simple optimism. Challenges and setbacks and even tragedies are nonnegotiable parts of life, but what is negotiable is how you face them. (Time Magazine, February 23/March 2, 2015 issue.)
In my most recent devotion, Attitude of Gratitude, we touched on the “will of God” which is to “give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) In verse 17, and also listed as part of God’s will is to “pray continually.” Within the same spirit of living the kind of life God desires for us, in order to be and feel fulfilled, let’s focus our thoughts on the subject of prayer.
The same secular self-help books and articles that encourage us to “be positive” in our thinking also list the effects of “meditation” as a part of daily routine. It is so interesting that we are living in the twenty-first century and are just now touching upon a topic God addressed over two thousand years ago! His Word tells us to “Be joyful always;” and to “pray continually.” (1 Thess. 5:16-17) Oh, I know, the worldly version of “meditation” is different than “praying” and I couldn’t agree more. Although the Bible does use the word meditation many times, synonymously with prayer, there is a non-Christian philosophy that, through meditation, one is to focus within oneself to find strength and power. Whereas, prayerful meditation transcends beyond our human resources, to the ears and heart of The Only One Who is able to produce real lasting strength and power, God.
Think of it this way: we have computerized devices. We are able to disconnect them, for a while, and they are able to function and do what they were created to do. But, eventually, they need to be plugged into an outlet that carries the current necessary for recharging the battery. No matter how many times you bang on the keys or read the instructions, the computer cannot recharge itself!
You and I were created to be “recharged” by “plugging into” the power of our Creator God through prayer. In the Book of Isaiah, he writes, “You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘He did not make me’? Can the pot say to the potter, ‘He knows nothing’?” (verse 16)
Our God and Father, Creator of all and who we are, thank You for supplying all of our needs through Christ Jesus. AMEN
To The One Who, alone, has the power to transform lives…