Never stop praying.  —1 Thessalonians 5:17

Yes, that is essentially what that verses says.  Other translations say “pray continually” or “pray without ceasing”.  The point is the same…never stop praying! 

Now that probably seems like an obvious command.  Then again, when you try to actually do it, you begin to think it’s an impossible command.  Why would God lay out such a seemingly impossible directive for his children…for us to keep our heads bowed and eyes closed all day long?  Well, that’s not what the scripture means.  (I know you knew that!)  It means that we are to resort to prayer as our first and last activity of the day, our primary ongoing response to every situation, and a consistent part of our regular routine throughout the day and night.  With this in mind, we are actually able to follow the command as God designed.

“Never stop praying” means we should have an awareness of God’s power and sovereignty all of the time.  We must become so keenly in tune with how actively God is involved in our lives that we immediately turn to him in prayer for all of our issues and concerns.  Essentially, the minute we encounter issues, we automatically go to God in prayer. 

But it’s not just about going to God only when we have problems.  It’s also about having that ongoing relationship with God before, during, and after a problem.  We’ve previously established that prayer is communicating with God.  We’ve established that prayer is indicative of our relationship with God.  We’ve established that prayer is important for many reasons, including whether or not we are relying on God as opposed to ourselves.  Prayer is key to our Christian walk.  It’s for our good! 

If you already know this, then check yourself against the ideal.  Do you pray without ceasing?  If not, why not?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul commands us to depend on God and to commune with God through prayer—non-stop.  So…NEVER STOP PRAYING!