But "Without Ceasing?"

“Pray without ceasing,” writes the apostle Paul to the Christian assembly at Thessalonica. I suspose Timothy would have been glad Paul hadn’t written that to him, personally, as I’m sure that would have upset Timothy’s schedule for the week.

But all levity aside, what could Paul have possible meant by that command? If the Thessalonians (and us by implication) took it literally, death by hunger or dehydration, or collasp into sleep would result. If we take it literally, we will fall into the vainest of repetitions no matter how hard we try to say different prayers on different subjects.

So what does Paul mean by “pray without ceasing.”

Well, one idea I have has to do with our present day misunderstanding of the Hebrew word “amen.” I’ll bet most of you who are reading this sentence right now did not even know that “amen” is a Hebrew word. Well, it is. And I’ll tell you right now that is does not mean anything like “Roger wilco, over and out” or “10-4” or “copy that” or any other such convention for ending a distance conversion performed with a microphone and a speaker gizmo. “Amen” never meant to mean that we are finished talking with God and He, us. It was never meant to help us think that there is a time when we are in communication with God and a time when we are not in communication with God. It was never meant to give us mental privacy from God, which is what I think “amen” has come to mean for most modern people.

“Amen” simply means “So be it!” and it has a venerable history as a language signal in the setting of corporate prayer. In the corporate setting of prayer since time immemorial, one person would say a prayer, and then a other person would say a prayer, and then a another person would say a prayer. But what would happen if you so agreed with another person’s prayer that you had no wish to dilute it by repeating it? Well, that’s when you would say “amen!” “So be it!” “Let that stand!” or even “Ditto!” In fact, the whole congregation can say it for pretty much the same reason. It’s like a big giant “From” list on an email sent to God (if you’ll forgive me for using that analogy again after lambasting it.) And the apostle Paul apparently thought that was very important because he wrote:

1 Cor 14:12-17

12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.

14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

16 If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say "Amen" to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

17 You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified.

(NIV)

So do understand that saying “amen” does not mean you have ceased communication with God. If you can get yourself out of the mental habit of thinking you have mental privacy from God, you prayer life will be closer to what Paul meant by “pray without ceasing.”