You Don’t Need Long Prayers to Be Close to God

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Praise the Lord, my friend,

When we read the above verse, the line that grabs the attention the most is pray without ceasing.

And to be honest, many of us believers want to do that, but life doesn’t always make it simple.

There are days when your mind feels full from the moment you wake up.

And before you even realize it, the day starts pulling you in so many directions.

You may want to pray more, but the hours pass quickly.

You handle work, family responsibilities, worries, and moments where your heart feels tired.

And by the time the day ends, you realize you barely prayed the way you hoped to.

And sometimes even when you sit to pray, your mind may wander back to some worries, tasks, or a temptation you were trying to escape.

My friend, many of us have been through this.

Hence, when Paul says pray without ceasing, you may wonder how you can do that with a routine and a mind that refuses to stay still.

But praying without ceasing is much simpler than what we often imagine.

It does not consist of long prayers, but rather small talks with God in the midst of your normal day.

You can speak to Him while you walk from one place to another, while you do your household tasks, or when a sudden thought pulls your heart in the wrong direction.

And the good thing is, you do not have to stop everything to pray like this.

Even a short line spoken in your heart reaches Him just like Peter’s “Lord, save me!” did.

You can tell Him what is bothering you, ask for strength, or seek help to stand firm against a temptation.

These small conversations throughout the day help your heart stay close to the Lord, even when your schedule doesn’t allow long prayer times.

Psalms 145:18

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

In doing so, you will notice that your heart slowly begins to become aware of God’s presence.

You may still have worries and temptations, but they will not hold you the same way.

And even when your day feels messy or rushed, these short conversations with Jesus keep you steady from within.

I’m experiencing this at the moment, my friend.

Currently, I’m living in a place where getting privacy for a proper prayer time is very rare.

So, without planning it, I started talking to the Lord in my head throughout the day.

If something feels heavy on my heart, I speak to Him while doing simple tasks like folding the laundry or brushing my teeth.

And when I need a little space, I just go into the balcony for a minute, and tell Jesus whatever I’m facing, whether it is a worry or even a temptation I don’t want to fall into.

These small conversations with the Lord have been helping me to stay close to Him for the past few months.

And, I’m sure it will help you, too, if you can’t find time to pray or have been feeling a little distant from the Lord lately.

My friend, Jesus loves you more than you think.

He is not waiting for perfect words or moments from you.

He simply wants your heart and a few genuine words, even if it is one small line spoken while you are in the middle of work.

So please don’t make Him wait for the right conditions.

Just start talking to Him throughout your day.

He hears every word, and He stays close to you each time you call on Him.

A prayer for you

Jesus, I pray for my friend reading this, who wants to pray but finds it hard right now.

You know what their days look like and how their mind feels at times.

Please help them talk to you without feeling pressure or guilt.

Give them peace when their thoughts are scattered and strength when their heart feels weak.

Remind them that you love them, you’re near, and even their smallest heartfelt prayer means a lot to you.

Please, draw them near to you, Lord, and let your name alone be glorified through their life.

In your gracious and mighty name, I pray, amen.

Praise God, my friend,

If you’ve any prayer requests, please feel free to let me know by replying to this email. I would love to pray for you.