Pray without ceasing? I can't do that!

During the sermon this morning, Rev. Bill Haley (yes that is his name, and no, he does not have any comets) presented prayer as an application to our passage in Hebrews. He encouraged us to pray without ceasing as Paul commands in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing? I can't do that!

This is a tall order. I have a hard time praying for five minutes, let alone without ceasing. However Bill asked us another question. Can I worry without ceasing? Can I be anxious without ceasing? YES! (That was a resounding YES!) There are days when my worry consumes my thoughts and actions. At the moment I am spending a great deal of time worrying about jobs, job offers (or the lack thereof), and my future. Worry has slowly crept into more waking moments than I wish to admit. I am trying to transition that worry into prayer. It was well-timed that this week's Sunday school lesson was on asking God for wisdom. Worry and prayer are opposite reactions to the same circumstance.

So, I have the capacity to worry and be anxious all day. That means I also have the capacity to pray all day. I must learn how swap the two. I must learn how to be constantly aware of the presence of God. I'm not sure how that will play out, but I'm going to give it a go.