Why is this? Perhaps it's because prayer is often viewed as a singular compartmentalized event, a parenthetical act separated from everyday life. We prepare our meal, we pray, we eat. We sing songs in church, we pray as a transition, we hear a sermon. What if we prayed while we prepared and ate? What if we viewed an entire church service as a worshipful prayer to God?
Maybe prayer is less like a one-time event and more like a lifestyle posture. Maybe it's less like making a phone call to God and more like being aware of what God is actively doing in every moment.
Maybe it's less like a date with God--dates, even the best ones, have a beginning and an end--and more like a marriage with God--an ideal marriage is a lifelong commitment that becomes a central theme in one's identity, lifestyle, and decisions. I don't stop loving my wife simply because I'm away from her or busy with some work; she's in my mind and heart all the time, and every action I take runs through the grid of "how can I love my wife?" It's about being in a loving relationship, in tune with one another and sharing everyday life together.
Perhaps that's why God calls His church a "bride." Perhaps that is what it means to "pray continually."
i am praying as i type!
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