Pray Without Ceasing

What if amidst the hustle and bustle of life, we made a habit of praying in the midst of it all? You don't have to stop; just talk to God as you go.

Pray Without Ceasing

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus.

- Pastor Danny

"pray constantly"

(1 Thessalonians 5:17, CSB)

I have talked about this often, but in case you are new, Kyndall and I have two boys who are under two years old and are 13 months apart. Tabor and Miller are blessings from the Lord, and we love them dearly, but from the moment they wake up to the moment we put them down for glorious naps and bedtime, they constantly need our attention. They need us to change their diapers, make them food/bottles, and get them in and out of the car. You get the idea. These babies rely heavily on Kyndall and me for support and manpower, so we're constantly on parenting duty.

As I reflected on the constant parenting Kyndall and I do, I had a thought: what if, amidst the constant parenting and other tasks of the day, I continually pray? What if, in every situation I was in, every room I walked into, every time I got in and out of the car, what if in everything that I did in a day, I was talking to God about it? As I was thinking about this thought, my mind went to a great verse to memorize: 1 Thessalonians 5:17. It is short but oh so weighty!

The CSB says, "pray constantly".
The NLT says, "never stop praying".
The ESV says, "pray without ceasing".
The NIV says, "pray continually".

In all the translations, you get the same idea: pray! So here is my challenge for you today: pray constantly. Right now, I want you to think about your day: what meetings do you have? What appointments do you have? What errands do you have to run? What activities do you have to take your kids to? What meals do you have planned? What unplanned (but sort of planned) coffee breaks might you have? What is on your calendar today, and what would it look like for you to pray constantly through and in all of those events? I am not saying unplug from what you have to do, but I am saying pray constantly as you go through your day.

If this is challenging for you, here is my encouragement/challenge: put 1 Thessalonians 5:17 as your phone background, or at the start of every hour, have a reminder go off that says, "pray", or ask someone to check in with you today to see if you're praying. I think we could all agree that we want to pray more, but we get distracted throughout our day. Today, make it an intentional effort to "pray constantly".

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Podcast of the Week

The Titus Ten: Investment

In this tenth and final part of his series on the Apostle Paul's letter to Titus and its application to us today (especially to men), Pastor Danny talks about why we, as Christians, MUST invest in others, not only in friendship and support in times of need, but also in discipleship and mentorship of younger people.

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