In I Thessalonians 5:14-23 we read, “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. (15) See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. (16) Rejoice evermore. (17) Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (19) Quench not the Spirit. (20) Despise not prophesyings. (21) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (22) Abstain from all appearance of evil. (23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this devotional letter I want to again call your attention to verse 17, “Pray without ceasing.” There is one thing that I am certain of today. If not already, at some point we will face various problems. I am not talking about the major issues we often have to battle such as a serious health problem, a crisis in our marriage, a major financial challenge, joblessness, or addiction, but about the small day-to-day problems that come out of nowhere with which we have to deal.

As we know, there is virtually no end to these types of problems. Losing our keys, misplacing our wallet, something going wrong with our car, getting a traffic ticket, something breaking in our home, spilling our coffee in the morning, our computer not working, unexpected issues at work or school, a confrontation with someone we meet, having a routine dentist appointment turn into something more involved, stubbing our toes, not getting all our lunch order at Burger King, our pet gets sick . . . I could go on, but I think I made my point.

Every day, just in the course of living through another 24 hours, there are so many things in our lives that just happen. Many of these things are totally out of our control and are simply problems that we never expected, but are suddenly there. Unfortunately for many people, simply dealing with the day-to-day problems life throws at them can be very challenging and often overwhelming.

This is one of the reasons that I frequently suggest maintaining a real, committed, 24/7 relationship with the Lord. It would be nice if all of our problems occurred at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning, but that is not reality. The problems of life happen daily, and all throughout the day. I counsel people to start their day in prayer and in the Word of God. This is not only the best way to start a new day, but gives focus and strength to deal with whatever problems life may bring during the course of that day.

Paul said to, “Pray without ceasing.” We should take that LITERALLY. We should wake up every morning in prayer and never hang up the phone. We should spend the entire day with that line to God open. God has given us the greatest resource there is in the world, a direct line to Him. We are fools if we don’t take full advantage of it. There is nothing in our lives that we will face that is too big for God to handle or TOO SMALL!

Please understand. God cares about us! He loves us! God cares if our keys are lost. God cares if our car won’t start. God cares if we spill our coffee. God cares if our hot water heater isn’t working. God cares if our boss is giving us a hard time for no reason. God cares if we have a cavity. God cares about every detail in our lives. He loves us that much.

I realize that we are facing lots of challenges in our lives today. Many of those challenges were never even expected when we woke up. I want to encourage everyone to “pray without ceasing.” Start the day in prayer, read God’s Word, and spend the entire day with that line to God OPEN. Prayer demonstrates our dependence on God. When we don’t pray, we are depending on ourselves. John 15:5 tells us, “Without me, you can do nothing.” Why be so foolish to try and deal with the day to day problems of life alone, when God is ready, willing, and able to help us?

This could be one of the most profound letters I have ever shared, because it is so relevant and necessary to our daily lives. The key to knowing God’s peace, God’s joy, and the abundance of this life, is by living each day in constant communication with Him. Start the day in prayer and keep that line open ALL DAY LONG! Constant communication won’t make the problems of life go away, but it will allow us to live each day no matter what problems life may throw at us.

In His Amazing Grace,