Pray Without Ceasing by R. F. COTTRELL

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 30, 1866

Pray Without Ceasing.

By R. F. COTTRELL

WHAT is it to pray? To ask with earnestness; to entreat; to supplicate. It has often been said, by those who have not interest enough in their prayers to express them by words, that “Prayer is the desire of the heart.” It is more; it is the heart’s desire expressed in words. Said an apostle, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” His desire and the expression of that desire to God were two things. There can be no prayer without desire, but there can be much desire without prayer.

If prayer is simply the desire of the heart, the miser, the extortioner, the adulterer and the drunkard pray. But their prayers expressed in words would not sound very well. “Give me ten thousand times more wealth than I need or know how to use. Give me victims to my overreaching and concupiscence. Give me the maddening cup,” &c. The very thought of offering such prayers to God is odious and disgusting. Yet all those who do all their praying inwardly, not having interest enough to express their desires in words before God, are liable to fall into the same or a similar sort of praying—the same spirit of prayer. “Watch,” and not only watch, but “pray, lest ye enter into temptation.” Till you can literally live without breathing, do not imagine you can live spiritually without praying.

When the Lord told Ananias concerning Saul, “Behold, he prayeth,” it is evident that Saul was doing something more than seriously thinking. He had commenced this praying on the way, when he said, “Lord what wilt thou have me to do?” And now he had been without sight three days, and had neither eaten nor drank. Doubtless he was in earnest, enough so to express his desire in words. And God had heard his prayers, and given him a vision of a man putting his hands on him that he might receive his sight.

Again, our Saviour said to his disciples, “When ye pray, say, Our Father,” &c. He did not say, think, but say. And in saying, when ye pray, it is evident that he did not purpose that they should be all the time praying. But, says one, I thought that to pray

without ceasing meant that we must be all the time praying; and as we cannot be all the time praying in words, I had concluded that prayer was merely the desire of the heart. And I desire all good things, and am constantly desiring.

Many have puzzled themselves concerning how they might be praying all the time; and some have concluded that we can be all the time in a praying frame of mind. But a praying frame of mind is not praying. You do not pray much when you are asleep. You do not pray very ardently when you are counting up a long column of figures, unless it is that you may do it correctly.

To pray without ceasing is to persevere in prayer, and not neglect to pray at regular periods and on all proper occasions.

Daniel prayed without ceasing when he called upon God three times a day; though the chief presidency of an empire was on his hands, and he was so assiduous in his business that no fault could be found with him on that score. And the laws of the Medes and Persians were not strong enough to cause him to cease praying. Moreover his prayers consisted in asking petitions of God, a thing forbidden by the law, and a thing not done by mere thinking.

Reader, did you once pray in secret, in the family, in the prayer meeting, but have now left it off, or rarely attend to it? You are the person that has disobeyed the apostolic injunction, Pray without ceasing. The apostle continues, “In every thing give thanks.” Do you say, I am thankful, though I do not express it? Being thankful and giving thanks are two things; and your thankfulness to a neighbor for an act of kindness would not be exceeding great, were you so proud or so indifferent that you could not afford to say, Thank you, sir. The practice of giving thanks cultivates and increases thankfulness. Then let us, as the apostle says, “offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Heb. xiii, 15. Our heart prayers and thanksgivings, if very earnest, will cause our lips to move. 1 Sam. i, 12, 13.

But some have taken the ground that all our addresses to our heavenly Father should be in secret—that Jesus taught his disciples to pray in the closet with closed doors. It was vocal prayer then that he inculcated, or there would be no need of closing the door. Secret prayer is certainly necessary, but that is not all. Paul did not transcend his Master’s instructions, when, having called together the elders of the church of Ephesus, “he kneeled down and prayed with them all.” Acts xx, 36. Neither when on leaving Tyre, all the brethren with their wives and children accompanied him and his companions out of the city, where they all “kneeled down on the shore and prayed.” Acts xxi, 5. The brethren and sisters did not transgress at the house of Mary, “where many were gathered together praying.” Acts xii, 12. God heard their prayers and sent Peter out of prison to them, before they expected him. The brethren did right when “they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God,” &c. Acts iv, 24–30. When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together.

Social prayer—prayer in the presence and hearing of others, that they may understand it and thus be edified—is taught by Paul in 1 Cor., xiv, 14–17. “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say, Amen, at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.”

And if social prayer is inculcated, the first of all social circles is that of the family. It is the duty of parents to command their children and their households after them, as Abraham did, and to bring them up in the correction and instruction of the Lord. Can families be taught the service of the Lord, and never hear the voice of prayer from their instructors? Imagine, if you can, patriarchs, prophets and apostles guiding their households with discretion and training children for the Lord, and the voice of prayer never heard under their roofs! It is preposterous.

Oh, do not say with the wicked, “What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?” Job xxi, 15. But “Whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Col. iii, 17. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” Eph. vi, 18.

R. F. COTTRELL.