“Rejoice always pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Dan Doyle

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The words of this exhortation seem to make a very strange, even an impossible request of us, especially given that our perceived sense of ‘reality’ is so often troubled with the seemingly endless distractions, temptations, and the routine busyness we experience every day, every hour, indeed, every minute of our lives. Yet these stunningly simple words offer much to contemplate.

The troubling words in this short passage are: ‘always,’ ‘without ceasing,’ and ‘in all circumstances’. They imply a perfection that seems beyond our ken or our ability. And it is… without God’s grace. Rejoice always? In all circumstances? How can we rejoice always when the world seems so deeply damaged and burdened with so much suffering? How can I rejoice about anything when I am in the throes of my own suffering, or in the presence of another’s suffering, near or far?

The key is in the middle clause: “pray without ceasing.” Prayer, for a Christian believer, is understood to be an intimate conversation with God, who is immediately present to us ‘always, in all circumstances, at all times, and in all places, ‘ and who hears and listens to us with unconditional love. God is present to all of creation, and most immediately, intimately, and attentively to us, because he is the Ground Being, the Source and Sustainer of all that exists, seen and unseen. In other words, he is and will always be present to our prayer. Sometimes our prayer seems very dry and brings us no comfort. We feel that God is not listening. In these times, we must continue to pray. The act of will is important, for in times when we feel like we are making no progress, prayer is even more useful because it teaches perseverance and deepens our faith.

So what does it mean to pray without ceasing? This question makes more sense when we come to understand that prayer has two major movements. There is prayer done on the knees, what we think of most commonly, in solitude and silence, or in church. The other form of prayer is what we do on our feet. It is expressed in our attitude toward life, in how we carry ourselves in the world, how we treat others, how we love God openly in our neighbors as ourselves. Both movements are part of what Paul calls “praying without ceasing.”

We can learn to pray unceasingly by becoming increasingly aware of God’s presence and activity in all things, in everything around us, even in those things and circumstances that we do not understand right now. In other words, prayer becomes unceasing when it becomes a habit of awareness, of being awake enough to see God at work in everything, at all times, in all places, in all circumstances. When we learn to pray in this way, we will come to know God’s immediate presence and engagement with us, and with all else. This will be the reason for our “rejoicing always”. The ultimate benefit of such prayer is to experience more regularly, “the peace that surpasses all understanding that will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

When prayer becomes unceasing in us like this, we will be more readily able to “give thanks in all circumstances.” This is to say that when we become ever more practiced in the art and grace of unceasing prayer, when we become ever more awake to God’s will at work in all things, yes, even in the mystery of troubling, difficult, and painful things, joy and thanksgiving will become a more regular attitude within us. One who practices unceasing prayer becomes a light to all around them. Those who pray unceasingly bring joy to all that they do. In their readiness to be thankful, more than critical, they bring the possibility of healing and reconciliation to difficult situations. It is in them where others can come to see the love of Christ in action, and many will be attracted to Jesus because of their joy and thanksgiving.