“Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.” (Psalm 73:23–24, ESV)
Hosea 12:6 explains that the faithful should “wait continually” upon God, trusting that God will come through when the timing is right. Hebrews 13:15 teaches that we should “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God”. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 urges the believer to “never stop praying”. These, and many other scriptures remind us that a relationship with God needs to be constant and consistent. Some Christians only think to pray before meals, during worship, or at special occasions. They do not understand that a relationship with God necessitates that prayer and conversation with God needs to occur continually… without ceasing… throughout each day. Prayer and conversation with God should not be something to occupy your thoughts at certain times but at all times!
“Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God. By the time your life is over, you will have spent six months at stoplights, eight months opening junk mail, a year and a half looking for lost stuff (double that number in my case), and a whopping five years standing in various lines. Why don’t you give these moments to God? You needn’t leave your office or kneel in your kitchen. Just pray where you are. Let the kitchen become a cathedral or the classroom a chapel. Give God your whispering thoughts.” (p. 207, Grace for the Moment).
When Jewish psychiatrist Victor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis in World War II, he was stripped of everything—property, family, possessions. Even a manuscript he was writing was tossed away. Frankl was left with nothing. They even took his coat! He felt lost and alone.
Then one day while working under guard at the camp, Frankl found an old, ratty, discarded coat. With the weather turning cold, he was allowed to keep the coat, especially since it was old and worn. As Frankl continued his work, he felt a piece of paper in the pocket of the coat. When the guards weren’t looking, Frankl took out the piece of paper and read it. It contained the prayer from Deuteronomy 6, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Smiling, Frankl placed the piece of paper back in his coat pocket to carry with him throughout every day.
A short while later, Frankl reflected on that piece of paper in his coat pocket. His heart grew warm, and his love of God grew mightily. He realized that though the Nazi leaders at the prison camp had taken all his worldly possessions, he still carried with him a love of God and his prayers. And because of that, he also decided at that moment that he would talk to God all day long, praying constantly, considering God’s grace continually. It helped Frankl to thrive despite in that prison camp surrounded by death.
Does your prayer time with God make your heart glad? Do you lean upon God continually? Do you pray without ceasing? If not, you are missing out on a powerful part of your relationship with God!
Stop now to pray!
Now, endeavor in all your interruptions and quiet moments and on your way to places to take a few moments to pray. Use that time to talk with God. Let your heart warm from that connection with God. Open your mind to new possibilities. Share your deepest worries. Give thanks for something you love. Just talk with your Lord!
Are you in need of God’s direction and guidance? Do you need the Holy Spirit to direct your steps? Psalm 73: 23-24 gives powerful insight into these questions. When Asaph wrote the words of this Psalm, he realized that his faith caused him to be “continually with God”. It also dawned on him that in response, God consistently “held his right hand” and “guided him with counsel”. When you are willing to have a constant conversation with God throughout your day, speaking with God in prayers and praises in thought and spoken word, God will guide your steps. God will hold your hand. God’s Spirit will lead you to the right path. God’s angels will guard your way.
Will you endeavor to speak constantly with God? The benefits are there. The connection is real. The rewards are eternal (Psalm 73:24).
“Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God. By the time your life is over, you will have spent six months at stoplights, eight months opening junk mail, a year and a half looking for lost stuff (double that number in my case), and a whopping five years standing in various lines. Why don’t you give these moments to God? You needn’t leave your office or kneel in your kitchen. Just pray where you are. Let the kitchen become a cathedral or the classroom a chapel. Give God your whispering thoughts.” (p. 207, Grace for the Moment).
When Jewish psychiatrist Victor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis in World War II, he was stripped of everything—property, family, possessions. Even a manuscript he was writing was tossed away. Frankl was left with nothing. They even took his coat! He felt lost and alone.
Then one day while working under guard at the camp, Frankl found an old, ratty, discarded coat. With the weather turning cold, he was allowed to keep the coat, especially since it was old and worn. As Frankl continued his work, he felt a piece of paper in the pocket of the coat. When the guards weren’t looking, Frankl took out the piece of paper and read it. It contained the prayer from Deuteronomy 6, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Smiling, Frankl placed the piece of paper back in his coat pocket to carry with him throughout every day.
A short while later, Frankl reflected on that piece of paper in his coat pocket. His heart grew warm, and his love of God grew mightily. He realized that though the Nazi leaders at the prison camp had taken all his worldly possessions, he still carried with him a love of God and his prayers. And because of that, he also decided at that moment that he would talk to God all day long, praying constantly, considering God’s grace continually. It helped Frankl to thrive despite in that prison camp surrounded by death.
Does your prayer time with God make your heart glad? Do you lean upon God continually? Do you pray without ceasing? If not, you are missing out on a powerful part of your relationship with God!
Stop now to pray!
Now, endeavor in all your interruptions and quiet moments and on your way to places to take a few moments to pray. Use that time to talk with God. Let your heart warm from that connection with God. Open your mind to new possibilities. Share your deepest worries. Give thanks for something you love. Just talk with your Lord!
Are you in need of God’s direction and guidance? Do you need the Holy Spirit to direct your steps? Psalm 73: 23-24 gives powerful insight into these questions. When Asaph wrote the words of this Psalm, he realized that his faith caused him to be “continually with God”. It also dawned on him that in response, God consistently “held his right hand” and “guided him with counsel”. When you are willing to have a constant conversation with God throughout your day, speaking with God in prayers and praises in thought and spoken word, God will guide your steps. God will hold your hand. God’s Spirit will lead you to the right path. God’s angels will guard your way.
Will you endeavor to speak constantly with God? The benefits are there. The connection is real. The rewards are eternal (Psalm 73:24).