What Does It Mean to Pray without Ceasing?

Prayer is an essential component of the Christian life. Today, W. Robert Godfrey helps us think through what it means for us to “pray without ceasing,” as 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to do.

NATHAN W. BINGHAM: We are recording live from Ligonier’s 2023 National Conference for this episode of the Ask Ligonier podcast. And our guest today is Dr. W. Robert Godfrey. He’s the Chairman of Ligonier Ministries. He’s also one of our teaching fellows. Dr. Godfrey, what does it mean when we’re commanded to pray without ceasing?

DR. W. ROBERT GODFREY: I think the point being made is that prayer should suffuse our lives. We should be people of prayer. We should turn regularly to God in prayer. It should not be that we pray only on Sunday in church.

It doesn’t literally mean we should never do anything other than pray—it’s clear the Scriptures call us to all sorts of other things—but that prayer should be a regular recurring part of our whole experience, and that, in a sense, not only are there perhaps set times of prayer for us but that we should be turning to the Lord throughout the day.

We don’t have to pray at great length all the time—I think that’s part of the reminder here—but that we try to cultivate a sense of the presence of God with us, of our turning our hearts, and our minds, and our cares to Him regularly throughout the day. So, it’s an encouragement to think of ourselves as a prayer-filled people, and that’s the call—and a very valuable call—for us to hear.