December 30

Comfortable and Confident in Prayer

Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly].

1 THESSALONIANS 5:17

The closer we are in our relationship with God, the more confident we become in prayer. The truth is that God wants us to be so confident and comfortable in prayer that it becomes like breathing, an effortless action that we do every moment we are alive. We don’t work and struggle at breathing, and neither will we in prayer if we understand its simplicity.

To pray without ceasing like Paul talks about in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 does not mean that we must be offering some kind of formal prayer every moment twenty-four hours a day. It means that all throughout the day we can be in a prayerful attitude. As we encounter each situation or as things come to our minds that need attention, we can simply submit them to God in prayer. I often say, “Pray your way through the day.”

Don’t forget: It is not the length or loudness or eloquence of prayer that makes it powerful—prayer is made powerful by the sincerity of it and the faith behind it.

We can pray anywhere at anytime about anything. Our prayers can be verbal or silent, long or short, public or private—the most important thing is that we pray.