Without Ceasing

Does it ever seem like you are too busy to pray?
I can relate. Whether it is taking care of the kids, rushing off to make it to work on time, blazing through oblivious drivers in traffic, putting in a good 60 hours, collapsing on the floor in a pool of exhaustion, or trying to find good quality time with everyone who demands it, it just seems like the thing Mary found that was BETTER seems to get pushed to the wayside.

What I love about scripture is its balance. Anytime we treat the Bible like morning breakfast at Burger King, and just "GRAB AND GO" a scripture out of context, we can form strange ideas and deceptive doctrines. It's been said that scripture is its own best commentator, and I would agree.
We don't know why Abel's sacrifice is better than Cain's until we get all the way to Hebrews 11.
We gain a greater understanding of the typology of the children of Israel when we see 1 Corinthians 10.
Our scope of Daniel and Ezekiel explodes when we investigate the book of Revelation.
But alone and singled out, without context and the continuity of the WHOLE SCROLL, we can find ourselves in extreme beliefs. That's why I love the balance of scripture.

Jesus said that WHEN WE PRAY, not IF, and then explained that we should be alone with God in what He referred to as a "prayer closet" and fellowship with the Father. Some have taken this to an extreme and built questionable beliefs and requirements for prayer. They would argue that you must spend at least an hour or more in silent prayer, using acronymic formulas and specific scriptures in order to conjure up God's presence.
But Paul reveals a balance to prayer in his list of bulleted commands in 2 Thessalonians. He says, "Pray without ceasing". This means that instead of merely devoting time solely in one place at one time during the day, prayer can be a perpetual conversation at any and every moment.
Do you pray spontaneously? If someone asks you to pray for them, do you take advantage of the 2 minutes you have with them in person or on the phone and just immediately bring them before the throne of God? If someone says, "Please remember us in prayer", I will either pray with them right at that moment or within the next few minutes quietly petition the Lord for their request.

All of us would admit our schedules are too busy.
But none of us would argue that we are too busy NOT to pray!
-Pilgrim