1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Keeping In Tune With Jesus

1 Th 5:17 (KJV)  Pray without ceasing.

1 Th 5:17 (RSV)  pray constantly,

1 Th 5:17 (NIV)  pray continually;

1 Th 5:17 (TEV)  pray at all times,

1 Th 5:17 (CEV)  never stop praying.

1 Th 5:17 (EAV)  Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];

1 Th 5:17 (CWB)  Always have a prayerful attitude.

1 Th 5:17 (TLB)  Always keep on praying.

CROSS REFERENCES

Luke 18:1 (KJV) And he spake a parable unto them to this end,
that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Luke 21:36 (KJV) Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Rom. 12:12 (NCV) Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient
when trouble comes, and pray at all times.

Eph. 6:18 (NCV) Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds
of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must
always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God's people.

Col. 4:2 (NCV) Continue praying, keeping alert, and always
thanking God.

COMMENTARIES

If you think of prayer as something you say several times a day
before you eat and just before you go to bed, you aren't going to
understand this text at all. One of the most famous quotations of Ellen
White is this: "Prayer is the breath of the soul." If you think of
prayer in this way, then you know that you have to pray without
ceasing, just as you know that you can't stop breathing and continue to
live. [Glimpses Of God's Love by J & P Tucker]

Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual
power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of
the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate
contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew and
muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or
engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and
you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their
vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor. It is only at
the altar of God that we can kindle our tapers with divine fire.
GW254,5

Those who take the name of Christian should come to God in
earnestness and humility, pleading for help. The Saviour has told us to pray
without ceasing. The Christian can not always be in the position of
prayer, but his thoughts and desires can always be upward. Our
self-confidence would vanish, did we talk less and pray more. 3BC1157

Christ commands, "Pray without ceasing;" that is, keep the mind
uplifted to God, the source of all power and efficiency.  TM511

Constant prayer is a feature of Christian life as it expresses
confident dependence on God's provision. [College Press NIV Commentary]

Ye are dependent on God for every good; without him ye can do
nothing; feel that dependence at all times, and ye will always be in the
spirit of prayer; (Adam Clarke Commentary)

We cannot spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to
have a prayerful attitude at all times. This attitude is built upon
acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing his presence within us, and
determining to obey him fully. Then we will find it natural to pray
frequent, spontaneous, short prayers. A prayerful attitude is not a
substitute for regular times of prayer but should be an outgrowth of those
times.  [Life Application SB]

There should be a constant spirit of prayer breathing through
the Christian's life. Never must the connection with Heaven be
broken. Paul labored "night and day" (1 Thess. 2:9); he also prayed
"night and day" (ch. 3:10). His many activities did not crowd out his
prayers. Active connection with his heavenly Father was always maintained
and so it should be with us. [SDA Commentary]

Pray without ceasing;... We are to be in constant communication
with our God.  This is prayer about all the details of daily life, ....
[In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]

The Christian who prays "continually" is living in constant
communion with God and is always ready to pray. [New Bible Companion]

Continuous prayer involves an attitude of openness to God in all
situations and a practice of talking to God about all situations. [Disciple
SB]

Prayer is attitude as well as activity. The attitude of devotion
to God can be without ceasing [Wycliffe Bible Commentary]

PRAYER LIFE OF THE JEW

The most important part of the Scriptures for the Jew is the
Shema.  It consisted of three short passages of Scripture - Deuteronomy
6:4-9; 11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41 - and had to be recited in prayer
fashion by every Jew every morning and every evening.
The Shema wasn't the only prayer the Jews had to recite every
day. They also had to recite what became known as The Eighteen, which
consisted of 18 prayers. The Eighteen had to be recited three times a day
- once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the
evening.
The Jews were a people of prayer. They took their praying
seriously. Not only did they have the daily Shema and The Eighteen, but
they had prayers for nearly every event in their lives. Thus they had
prayers before and after every meal; and there were prayers connected
with such things as light, fire, lightning; on seeing the new moon,
comets, rain, storms; at seeing the sea, lakes, rivers; on receiving
good news; on using new furniture; on entering or leaving a city, and
so on. Everything had its prayer.
As Christians we have something to learn here. We need to also
see the sacredness of everything that exists or that happens in our
lives. We need to have a sense of God's presence constantly. We ought
also to live lives inundated with prayer. [Walking with Jesus by
George Knight re Deu.6:4-5 mod]

APPLICATION FOR US TODAY

The direction here may be fairly construed as meaning:
(1) That we are to be regular and constant in the observance of
the stated seasons of prayer. We are to observe the duty of prayer
in the closet, in the family, and in the assembly convened to call
on the name of the Lord. We are not to allow this duty to be
interrupted or intermitted by any trifling cause. We are so to act that it
may be said we pray regularly in the closet, in the family, and at
the usual seasons when the church prays to which we belong.
(2) we are to maintain an uninterrupted and constant spirit of
prayer. We are to be in such a frame of mind as to be ready to pray
publicly if requested; and when alone, to improve any moment of leisure
which we may have when we feel ourselve strongly inclined to pray.
That Christian is in a bad state of mind who has suffered himself, by
attention to worldly cares, or by light conversation, or by gaiety and
vanity, or by reading an improper book, or by eating or drinking too
much, or by late hours at night among the thoughtless and the vain, to
be brought into such a condition that he cannot engage in prayer
with proper feelings. There has been evil done to the soul if it is
not prepared for communion with God at all times, and if it would
not find pleasure in approaching his holy throne. (Barnes' Notes)

CLOSING COMMENTS

If prayer is an interruption to our lives, then something is
wrong. The fact that we sustain an attitude of prayer does not mean we
avoid regular times of prayer. It is the regular occasion of prayer
that makes possible the constant attitude of prayer. We do not enjoy
Thanksgiving dinners or holiday feasts at every meal; but we are able to
enjoy those special times because we have eaten our regular meals
three times a day. We begin the day with prayer; we pray at mealtime;
we lift prayers to God during the day as the Spirit prompts us; we
close the day in prayer. Like our breathing, our praying becomes so
much a part of our lives that we are often not conscious of it.
Warren Wiersbe

As activity increases, and men become successful in doing any
work for God, there is danger of trusting to human plans and methods.
There is a tendency to pray less, and to have less faith.  Like the
disciples, we are in danger of losing sight of our dependence on God, and
seeking to make a saviour of our activity. We need to look constantly to
Jesus, realizing that it is His power which does the work. While we are
to labor earnestly for the salvation of the lost, we must also take
time for meditation, for prayer, and for the study of the word of
God. Only the work accomplished with much prayer, and sanctified by
the merit of Christ, will in the end prove to have been efficient
for good. DA362,3

Of all the duties enjoined by Christianity none is more
essential, and yet more neglected, than prayer.... Under all circumstances
we have need of prayer. There is no situation in which it is
possible to be placed where we have not many virtues to acquire and many
faults to correct.... Do not think that it is necessary to pronounce
many words. To pray is to say, Let Thy will be done. It is . . . to
raise your heart to God; to lament your weakness; to sigh at the
recollection of your frequent disobedience. This prayer demands neither
method, nor science, nor reasoning; . . . it is a simple movement of the
heart toward its Creator, and a desire that whatever you are doing you
may do it to His glory. The best of all prayers is to act with a
pure intention, and with a continual reference to the will of God. It
depends much upon ourselves whether our prayers be efficacious. It is
not by a miracle, but by a submissive spirit. Let us believe, let us
hope, and God never will reject our prayers. F. Fenelon [Spirit Filled
Life Devotional SB]