Pentecost Alive – Praying Without Ceasing!

June 6, 2020

DAILY READING

1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 – 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

FIELD NOTES

The following is one suggestion I’ve developed that helps me to come closer to “praying without ceasing.”

Studies show that people who have set reminders to pray throughout the day tend to live their faith more than those who pray once a day or occasionally. Why? If we have reminders to pray at various times in a day, we have a better chance of living our beliefs.

So, I set my vibrating alarm on my phone to nudge me at 8, 10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. While sometimes I stop and pray, the other times, I use the phone as a signal to refocus on the Holy Spirit’s presence at the moment, praying, “Lord, please guide me.” 

While I use the phone as a reminder, others use traffic lights, feelings of hunger, feelings of anger, mealtime, email alerts, TV commercials, walking through a particular room, and numerous other everyday occurrences, calling them to pray. 

Since prayer is communion and communication with God, then nudges throughout the day become a means of grace, calling us to allow God to be in the moment with us. Thus, we come closer to praying without ceasing.

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• Describe how successful you are in praying without ceasing.
• Other than crises in your life, what calls you to pray?
• What means do you use to help you pray without ceasing?
• If you don’t have a method calling you to pray, what might you try?

FAMILY FIELD TALK

• Describe various things your family uses as reminders – clocks, calendars, post-it notes?
• Answer the Questions for the Field.

PRAYER GUIDE

Lord, Jesus Christ, your Holy Spirit is with us now. You are more ready to talk with us than we are. Help us to learn to be in communion and communication with you throughout the day. Lord, please guide us through your Holy Spirit. In your gracious name, I pray.  Amen.

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT AND PENTECOST CHALLENGE

For the duration of our sermon series, we are offering daily prompts for applying the wisdom from the scriptures to our everyday lives. Each week focuses on how we can encourage those around us, resulting in our bearing fruit! This week we are focusing on making Pentecost come alive through our prayer life and following the Holy Spirit.

This week’s scripture is Acts 2:1-21 and we will be practicing Lectio Divina with it.  Lectio Divina is an ancient prayer practice that means divine or sacred reading.  It is a way of meditating on the scripture and allowing God to speak anew through the words of scripture.  There are a number of ways to practice Lectio Divina; one method is listed below.

First pray: Loving God help me to hear your word for me today.  Amen.
Next, read the passage Acts 2:1-21 aloud slowly. Pause for a moment.
Read the passage aloud again slowly.  Listen for a word or a phrase that stands out to you.
Read the passage aloud again for a third time.  As you do, reflect on your word or phrase and think about why God might be revealing those words to you. 
Meditate on your word or phrase and listen for what God might be inviting you to do.
Who is the Spirit inviting you to pray for today?

To learn more about the Fruit of the Spirit challenge, click here.