What Does "Pray without Ceasing" Mean?

St. Paul commands us to "pray without ceasing," which, of course, inspired the name of this blog. But what exactly does that mean?

To me, "praying without ceasing" does not mean that we remain on our knees all day, droning on and on. After all, Jesus warns us against doing that, especially in public places, in Matthew 6:7-8 (ESV),

When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the pagans, for they think that because of their many words they will be heard. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Rather, I believe that "praying without ceasing" means that we should constantly be "God-centered" in our thinking. As we go about our day, every single good thing that we see, we should recognize that as a blessing from God.

For example, I awoke this morning feeling healthy, and I had the opportunity to enjoy a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee. Simple pleasures, indeed, but as a sinner, I don't deserve them. Instead, God should have struck me down long ago for my sins, and he would have been justified in doing so. Yet, God not only keeps me alive, but he provides me with the necessary resources that I can enjoy a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee. Why does he do this? Because he is loving and forgiving.

But recognizing blessings in the easy part. "Praying without ceasing" also implies that we should remain God-centered when things aren't going so well. But as Paul notes in Romans 5:3-5 (ESV),

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

If we endure and "pray without ceasing" during those trying times, our faith will strengthen!

So in summary, I view "praying without ceasing" to be a "Godly" state of mind. That said, we also should pray frequently throughout the day, the sorts of prayers in which we kneel down and talk to God. But I'll save that discussion for a later post!