Thesis 51 We must pray without ceasing.
One of the dangers of honoring the Reformation is that we can end up dishonoring the very principles that gave rise to it. If, for instance, we were to carry around bits of bones from Martin Luther and revere them, we would have badly missed the point. If, in like manner, our understanding of justification becomes so complicated that it takes a Ph.D. to understand it, we’ve missed the point as well. The Reformation did not happen because Martin Luther applied his prodigious intellect to a vexing intellectual problem, and came out with the right answer. It was driven more by courage than by raw intelligence, by fidelity more than finesse.
In like manner, while we want to be sound in our thinking, and while the things of God are infinite in depth, what we need if we want a new Reformation is not new information, but greater fidelity to the information we have already been given. Consider how much time and energy we devote to the question of prayer. If everything is already ordained, why pray? we ask. Does prayer really change anything? Should we pray in tongues? These are all legitimate questions. But we ought to be spending more time praying than asking questions about praying. We know this, and it is enough, we are commanded to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).
If we want Reformation, if we want to see the world changed, the church changed, our families changed, and ourselves changed, we need to change our habits. Reformation will come when we are obedient in the simple things. God calls us to pray without ceasing, and so we ought to do. As we obey this command we are changed, and the world around us is changed. As we obey this command we will in turn rejoice always. We will give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us (5:16-18).
One of the most potent elements of prayer is shame. That is, when we are not praying, we seem to believe that God isn’t listening. Prayer is, to our subconscious minds, opening the communication link with heaven. When we’re “on” we are less likely to dwell not only on those sins we nurture in the quiet of our minds, but we are less likely to dwell on the trivial and insignificant. Praying to the Lord of heaven helps keep our focus on heavenly things. This in turn will turn our efforts toward heavenly things. A person who prays constantly is probably not given to thinking all the time about their favorite football team. Neither are they busy trying to make sure their favorite team wins. A person in constant prayer is already working for the kingdom. But such a man is in turn far more likely to set his hands and feet to work on that which is not wood, hay and stubble.
Pray without ceasing, for God is at work in and for us, without ceasing.