February 2023

If prayer is an admired spiritual discipline, it’s also quite guilt-inducing. That’s because most of us don’t pray as we should. At least that’s what we suspect. We don’t pray long enough; our attention wanders; the fervency is lacking.

We all agree–we need to pray more.

How much more?

Well, seven passages in the letters of the apostle Paul mention ceaseless prayer.

Now that’s a tall order!

If the call to prayer stresses us, how intimidating is praying non-stop?

Let’s look at the passages to see what Paul is getting at.

Rome

“God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you ¹⁰in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” – Romans 1:9-10

Paul didn’t start this church, but he knows some of its members. To emphasize his sincerity, he calls God as his witness. The Lord Himself can testify that the apostle talked to Him about this church.

Paul also wanted to visit them; that was his second prayer. And it looked like the Lord was coming through for him!

Ephesus

“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” – Ephesians 1:16

This is one church Paul did establish, and as the verse suggests, he’s grateful for this assembly. He spent over two years discipling them (see Acts 19:1-10), so he has a lot invested in their spiritual welfare. Paul wants them to stay strong and fulfill their roles in the body of Christ.

Thessalonica

“We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; ³constantly keeping in mind your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father” – 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NASB)

“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:13

“Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray continually, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Paul repeats himself to the Thessalonians because he wants to make it clear how much he supports them. This church was suffering persecution, so he lifts up these believers to the Lord on an ongoing basis. He stands before God on their behalf.

Timothy

“I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” – 2 Timothy 1:3

Paul not only prayed constantly for the Ephesian church, he prayed for Timothy, too. He’d sent the young leader to oversee and shore up doctrinal matters and leadership issues in Ephesus. He really loved this church so he sought God’s best for Timothy and his ministry there.

Philemon

“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers” – Philemon 4

Finally, Paul writes to a brother in the Lord named Philemon who lived in Colossae. Paul had led Philemon to salvation in Christ years before. Now a prisoner in Rome, the apostle somehow met Philemon’s runaway servant, Onesimus, whom he also won over to Jesus. Paul is sending Onesimus back home with this letter, so Philemon will have a sense of how he ought to handle the return of his servant who’s now a disciple.

Observations

First, every passage listed above (except 1 Thessalonians 5:17) refers to intercessory prayer. Paul isn’t revealing his personal prayer habits. He doesn’t discuss his private devotional life with Jesus. In each instance, the apostle highlights interceding for the spiritual well-being of other Christians.

And except for the Romans and Timothy, every recipient of a letter had been evangelized by Paul. (Based on Romans 1:10, it’s clear he wanted to preach to that group of believers, too.) These were people who heard the good news from Paul. He’d spend as much time with them as he could, but when he traveled to another city, he didn’t stop caring for them.

Because he wasn’t with these Christians in person, he resorted to letter-writing to expound further the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul aimed to disciple them in whatever way he could. Whether talking face to face or composing epistles, he sought to train Christians in the ways of the Lord.

And to back up his ministry, he prayed for them. Paul spent time in intercession because he wanted these churches and individuals to remain loyal to Jesus in the face of opposition. He also desired their spiritual growth so that they would be grounded in the Scriptures.

Second, these passages illustrate a principle mentioned in the book of Acts.

There was a problem with the distribution of food to widows in the church, which was brought to the attention of the apostles. This is how they responded:

“So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’” – Acts 6:2-4

The apostles were committed to prayer and preaching, so they assigned this responsibility to others who could handle it. But they themselves remained focused on their twin duties.

Prayer and the Word belong together. They formed the heart of the ministry of the twelve apostles, and Paul had the same perspective.

Third, prayer is a substitute for fellowship. I don’t mean that prayer is less important than being with other believers or that it’s second-rate. But Paul’s apostolic journeys show how he prioritized sharing the gospel in person. He wrote letters when he could, but that was a slow process. Yet prayer is immediate; Paul could pray for those under his care any time. He didn’t need paper and ink; he didn’t need to wait while letters got delivered by messengers. He could come before the Father and ask for the blessings of the Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus. 

Prayer demonstrated Paul’s ongoing commitment to God’s people. If he couldn’t be with them in person, he could join them in spirit (see 1 Corinthians 5:3-4; Colossians 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:17).

Fourth, let’s judge non-stop or ceaseless prayer in the context of our service to God and others. Paul dedicated his full self to gospel ministry. He talks to people about Jesus and he talks to Jesus about people. We can view these as two sides of a single coin. While he has breath in his body, he’s committed to both.

Application

The Lord is calling us to fulfill our calling by serving those around us and praying for them when they’re not. In other words, our work doesn’t end; wherever we are, and whenever it is, we can bless others with good words, good deeds, and faithful intercession. As we do so, we see God establish His kingdom in the lives of the people we’re helping. And we have the joy of pleasing the heart of Jesus.

What an honor!