Be always in touch with the Lord!

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Food for thought!

Praying without ceasing can be a difficult concept to grasp especially when you need to have your attention focused elsewhere. But in this scripture it is literally saying what it means. God calls us to be in a constant connection with Him at all times. Prayer is more than a life line, it’s an intimate connection between us and the Father.

When Jesus says "pray always and not to lose heart", he is saying, in other words, to be in touch with God always. We need to be attuned to the Lord all the time. And the best way to do this is by prayer. Some people struggle with the concept of praying constantly. This is mainly due to a lack of self-discipline. That is way whenever you pray, also pay attention to your thoughts. Sometimes as you pray a particular thoughts may cause your mind to trail off.

Watch yourself as you pray and pay attention to the “trail offs.” If you catch them sooner you will continue in prayer longer. Even though we are called to pray continuously the scriptures also say, “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.” (Ecc 5:2)

If Jesus tells us to pray always, he is telling us as well that God is listening to us always. Otherwise, why would Jesus commend us to pray always and not lose heart, when he knows that God doesn't listen to us? In other words, pray with a silent heart. Let God speak to you, and pray what He gives you. Prayer is not one way, but it is a conversation. It is a two way communication and you need to learn to listen to the Spirit. If you become accustomed to constantly asking, you will begin to constantly receive. Yet what we receive may not always be what we desire.

 John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

(Acknowledgement: Houge, Adam (2013-06-20). The 7 Spiritual Habits That Will Change Your Life Forever. Kindle Edition).