APRIL 23, 2012
All Day With God
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18
Pray without ceasing. —1 Thessalonians 5:17
Brother Lawrence (1614–1691) felt intimately close to God
as he humbly scrubbed pots and pans in the monastery
kitchen. Certainly Brother Lawrence practiced specific times
of devotional prayer. But what he found more life-transforming
was prayer during the workday. In his devotional classic
Practicing the Presence of God, he says, “It is a great delusion
to think our times of prayer ought to differ from other times. We
are as strictly obliged to cleave to God by action in the time of
action as by prayer in the season of prayer.” In short, he
advocated that we “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
That’s a helpful reminder, because sometimes we
tend to compartmentalize our lives. Perhaps we pray
only during church worship, small-group Bible study,
family devotions, and personal quiet times. But what
about during our workday? To pray on the job does not
mean we have to fall to our knees with clasped hands
and pray aloud. But it does mean that work decisions
and relationships can be brought to God throughout
the day.
Wherever we are and whatever we’re doing, God wants to
be a part of it. When prayer enters every aspect of our lives,
who knows what God might do for His glory!
Let’s always keep the prayer lines open,
Knowing God is always there;
For we upon His name may call
Anytime and anywhere. —D. De Haan
True prayer is a way of life, not an emergency detour!
