1 Thessalonians 5:17

17 Pray without ceasing.

Ver. 17. Pray without ceasing] While prayer standeth still, the trade of godliness stands still. All good comes into the soul by this door, all true treasure by this merchant’s ship. Paul beginneth, continueth, and concludeth his Epistles with prayer, Nehemiah sends up ejaculations ever and anon. Of Carolus Magnus it was spoken, Carolus plus cum Deo quam cum hominibus loquitur, that he spake more with God than with men. Our hearts should be evermore in a praying temper; and our set times of prayer should not be neglected, though we be not always alike prepared and disposed thereunto. Disuse breeds lothness to do it another time. Mahometans, what occasion soever they have, either by profit or pleasure, to divert them, will pray five times every day. {a} Oratio est quantitas discreta, saith the philosopher. Oratio debet esse quantitas continua, saith our apostle. A Christian must ever be praying habitually, and vitally too; for, semper orat qui bene semper agit. He hath manifold occasions of calling actually upon God, as, 1. His daily morning and evening sacrifice, the neglect or non-performance whereof the Jews counted and called an "abomination of desolation." 2. The sanctification of creatures, calling, and relations. 3. New mercies. 4. New infirmities. 5. Variety of crosses. 6. Faintness of faith, spiritual desertions, temptations of Satan. 7. Sweetness of meditation. 8. Forethought of his last account, &c. Neither let any say we cannot awhile; for, 1. "A whet is no let;" a bait by the way is no hindrance to the journey; time spent in prayer hindereth not our business; for though it take so much from the heap, yet it increaseth the heap, as it is said of tithes and offerings, Mal 3:10; Blind Popery could say, Mass and meat hindereth no man’s thrift. 2. The greater the business, the more need there is of prayer to speed it; to be as oil to the wheel, as wings to the bird. Jacob, after he had seen God at Bethel, lift up his feet, and went lustily on his journey, Gen 29:1; Gen 3:1-24. How much idle time spend we, either in doing nothing, or worse, that might better be bestowed in this holy duty! Only take heed that frequency breed not formality, that we pray not in a lazy, customary, bedulling strain, like the pace the Spaniard rides, but rousing up ourselves, and wrestling with God, set we sides and shoulders to the work, lift up hearts and hands to heaven, lean upon Christ’s bosom as the beloved disciple did, lie hard upon him, as she did upon Samson, to learn out his riddle; press him as they did the prophet, till he was even ashamed to say them nay, 2Ki 2:17, till you put him to the blush, and leave "a blot in his face," υπωπιαζη, as the importunate widow dealt by the unjust judge, Luk 18:5. So this is prayer; and thus we are to "continue instantly in prayer," to wait upon it (as the word προσκαρτερειν signifieth), and to persevere in it, as David did, Psa 27:4; Psa 119:81-82.