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Ceaseless Prayers
In 1 Thessalonians the apostle Paul encourages us to pray without ceasing. He writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:16-17 ESV) What does that mean in today’s “hurry-up-world”? If we prayed constantly how would we get anything else accomplished? How can we rejoice always and pray constantly at the same time? Of course the quick and easy answer is to always be in an attitude of prayer but how does that pray out in a practical way.
In the teaching (and parenting) mode we talk about “the teachable moment”. That moment when something happens that automatically lends itself to learning experience. When that moment presents itself you capture it and get as much out of that moment as you can because it may never come quite like that again. The emphasis may never be as clear as at that very moment.
Several years ago, it dawned on me that I could seek out pray-able moment in much the same way. Over the years, I’ve developed in my own life two types of prayers. First the Holy Spirit directed me to pray what I’ve come to call “ripple prayers”. The “linked prayer” is newer to my prayer life and it is slightly different.
Ripple Prayers
The idea of the ripple prayer came to me while I was working in a college cafeteria. I was cutting a watermelon in preparation for the upcoming meal and I began thinking of all the students that would be eating it. Those thoughts turned to prayers. As I prayed for the students I then prayed about the deliveryman and the salesman that brought us the watermelon. Then I took off the sticker that said it was grown in Mexico and prayed for the grower as I put it in the serving pan. My original prayer for the students was my precise because they were friends and I knew some specific concerns. The next was for acquaintances and I knew very little about their concerns. The third prayer was for people I knew nothing about but recognized that God still knows their needs and I prayed in a generic way that God would meet their needs. This type of prayer can be prayed for just about anything that one might come in contact with throughout the day.
Linked Prayers
Linked praying is something that is newer to my prayer life. I think of one of those things that I want to pray for repeatedly. Then I link it with a common place item that I will frequently come in contact. For example, my church has ministries in Ramallah, Palestine and I link that with the Psalms. Every time I open to a Psalm or read a Psalm I pray for the work in Ramallah and the field staff there. We also have several sister ministries in Kenya; so when I have tea (especially Red Rose tea) I pray for the Kenyans, the staff there and the ministry that is happening there. These prayers can be long or short, specific or general. It depends on how the Spirit leads. There are numerous aspects of the work in Kenya and I could link those further to flavors of tea; but at this point I like leaving it open to the Spirit. These two types of prayers allow me to use my mind in prayer while my hands are busy doing some mundane task. It is a way for me to use prayer time that otherwise would have slipped by me.
