Pray without ceasing: 10 Bible verses on praying often

Let’s be honest: prayer is a spiritual discipline that doesn’t come easy for a lot of us. In fact, we can’t even say with certainty how prayer works. But the Bible assures us that it does (James 5:16). And it tells us to pray without ceasing, which makes it even more challenging.

If we’re going to pray without ceasing, we’ve got to trust that God listens and that He responds. Somehow, it ushers us into His presence in a way that’s hard to explain. But knowing that we can talk with the Creator of the universe anytime and anyplace should encourage us to pray without ceasing.

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What it means to pray without ceasing

The first challenge in learning how to pray without ceasing is understanding what that means. After all, if we take it literally, we wouldn’t have time to do anything else. We’d be spending all of our time on our knees.

Rest assured, that’s not what God expects. Instead, He challenges us to look at our hearts and motives. He wants us to live in a way that allows us to pray at any moment. Prayer is never reserved for a certain time and place. It’s not just something for church on Sundays or with family at meals. It’s a discipline we can practice 24/7.

When you consider that the times we need prayer most often strike when we least expect it—and it’s most inconvenient—learning to pray without ceasing is a great spiritual skill to develop.

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10 Bible verses on praying without ceasing:

Another great tool for learning to pray without ceasing is studying what the Bible says about prayer. While prayer is our way of speaking with God, Bible study is one way He speaks to us. So, in discovering what He thinks of prayer, His Word is the best place to turn.

With that in mind, we’ve made of list of 10 great verses about prayer. While this isn’t all the Bible says on the subject, they will get you moving in the right direction and help you to pray without ceasing.

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

If you wonder where Christians come up with the idea that we should pray without ceasing, this is it! This is where Paul urged the Thessalonians to make prayer a lifestyle. Plus, if you’re looking for a memory verse about prayer, this is an easy one. You probably already have it memorized!

But you also need to put it into practice. As we said, this doesn’t mean you need to keep your head bowed, hands folded, and eyes closed all day. Instead, think of prayer as an open-ended conversation with God. At any point in the day, you can jump back into the dialogue. In that sense, prayers have no end.

Prayer Develops Peace

Philippians 4:6—Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

We all struggle with anxiety and worry. It’s a natural part of being a man and of being a human. The key is how you deal with those stressors. According to the Bible, the best way to handle worry is through prayer. Nothing—absolutely nothing—in your life surprises God. Nothing catches Him off guard. Whatever you’re facing, prayer can relieve the worry. Learning to pray without ceasing brings comfort to your confusion, thanks to His guidance and direction.

Jeremiah 33:3—Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

As the only eternal Being Who has no beginning or end, God has a unique point of view. He knows things (the literal secrets to the meaning of life) that we cannot know apart from Him. And He’s not withholding this information, “Ask me and I will tell you….” If there is something we dads want to know, all we must do is ask. The power of a praying father shouldn’t be underestimated. And with anything, there might be a bit of a learning curve as we get started.

If I had no knowledge of football and asked you to teach me the game, it might take more than a couple of minutes. We may talk about rules and strategies. You would probably want to show me some games and walk me through plays. Eventually, after some shared conversations and experiences, I’d understand. For us to understand the secrets of God, we will have to share some experiences and conversations with Him.

James 4:3—You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

We’ve said that praying without ceasing is important—and it is. But here’s the thing: You’ve got to pray for the right reasons. James wrote that some of his readers didn’t see prayers answered because they failed to ask (James 4:2). But others were praying out of selfishness and greed. God is not a divine vending machine, and prayer is not a cosmic wish list. If you’re going to pray without ceasing, pray with the proper motives. Otherwise, your words will just bounce off the ceiling.

Matthew 6:7—When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.

The religious leaders of Jesus’s day liked to show off by seeing who could recite the wordiest prayers. These guys would just ramble on. They thought that the more words they piled up, the more impressed God would be.

Truth is, God wasn’t impressed at all because all their words were hollow. Their abundant syllables lacked sincerity. Don’t make the same mistake. Praying without ceasing doesn’t require a huge vocabulary because God is much more concerned about the faith behind your words.

Prayer is a lifeline for our souls.

Luke 18:1—One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

In Luke 18, Jesus told His disciples a story about a widow who needed a selfish, uncaring judge to act on her behalf. Initially, he resisted her pleas. But, thanks to her persistence, he finally answered her petition. The point is that perseverance pays off in life, especially when you pray without ceasing.

As a dad, you know that life can be hard. Sin has messed everything up, and things just go wrong. However, God wants to make sure giving up is never an option. As we talk with Him about our struggles, He can provide the encouragement we need to keep going, to keep trying, to keep trusting.

Psalm 116:2—Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

When your kids were young, you probably spent time taking a knee so you could talk to them face-to-face. This psalm paints a beautiful picture of our Creator bending down like a loving Father. He longs to speak to us face-to-face because He cares about us and about what we’re experiencing. And because He is such a great listener, we should talk His ear off.

Ephesians 6:18—Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.

The apostle Paul once gave the Ephesians a rundown of the “armor” God had provided for them. Sometimes, we forget that he included prayer in that list. That means learning to pray without ceasing is pretty important.

According to Paul (a very reliable source!), there’s never a wrong time to pray. Every occasion, good or bad or ordinary, calls our hearts toward our heavenly Father. While it’s easy to let our minds wander, we’ve got to “stay alert” and remain focused on who He is and what we’re doing.

Psalm 86:3—Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly.

The simple truth is, we need God—every minute of every day. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to pray without ceasing. It needs to become as natural as breathing because it’s even more important to our lives.

We are broken, and we are messy. As a result, we need God’s mercy, His grace, His forgiveness, His wisdom, and His direction. There will never be a time when we don’t need to pray because there will never be a time when we don’t need our heavenly Father.

Romans 8:26—In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.

Have we mentioned that life is tough, and we often miss the eligibility standards for a “Christian of the Year” award? Honestly, you’ll never be perfect this side of heaven—and Satan will try to use your mistakes to devastate your prayer life. Instead of giving in to his lies, remember that you’re never praying alone. Whenever you pray (even in your weakest moments), the Holy Spirit is praying with you and for you. He can make sense of your anguished cries, and that’s a great reason to pray without ceasing.

The Life-Changing Conversation

The anonymous writer of Hebrews said that children of the King can approach His throne with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). We can be sure we will be heard by the One who knows and loves us best. At its core, prayer is simply a conversation with God.

But, never forget that it’s also more than that: it’s a connection to the very One who breathed life into us. If we want to know who God is and the secrets to life that only He has, we must learn to pray without ceasing.