What Does It Mean To Pray Continually?

Let’s start with this: God is faithful whether we pray to him continually or not. His faithfulness does not depend on something as fickle as human beings. Thank goodness for that, right? 

With that being said, let’s get into why it’s important to talk to God. When we’re in a relationship with someone—whether a friendship or a romantic partnership—we build it through two-way communication. If one person faithfully texts or calls the other but never receives a response, they might eventually feel the other is no longer interested in the relationship. The same is true in our relationship with God; it’s a two-way street of communication. He graciously gave us the Holy Spirit, his Word in the Bible, the beauty of creation, and the encouraging voices of faithful believers, all as means of hearing from him. And he gave us our part, too: in Christ, we get to pray. 

When we stop and really think about it, this sounds too good to be true. The Creator of the universe, the one who, before time even began, planned to send his Only Son to die for our sins that we might live in eternity with him, is available to us. Just by praying. And not only that, he wants to hear from us (Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 5:14-15). 

And I, for one, have been guilty of forgetting all this over and over again, especially when life seems “good.” We find it much easier to pray when we’re struggling or in desperate need. I get that. I’ve done that. Sometimes, I still do. 

But when all is well in our lives, are we ghosting God with unanswered text messages, so to speak? 

How can we pray continually?

One of my absolute favorite Bible passages urges us to “pray continually” because that is God’s will for us who belong to Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). One way I’ve made this a part of my daily routine is by praying every night before I get into bed. I kneel beside the bed and talk to God about how great he is, how my day went, and anything else that comes to mind. Like any new habit, this was nice in theory, but tough to actually keep up as a part of my evenings. But through persistence and the Holy Spirit's help, the time with my heavenly father before I go to sleep has become one of my favorite parts of the day. As someone who struggles with anxiety—especially before bed—I take great comfort in taking time to cast my anxiety on him, because I know he cares for me (1 Peter 5:7).

Keeping a gratitude journal offers another practical way to stay in touch with God when life seems full of wins and victories. Keeping track of the myriad of blessings we have and the ways God has been faithful, and then systematically going through and thanking him for them, helps us remember that we’re only where we are because God is a loving and kind Father (Psalm 16:2, 5-6, 11).  

I encourage you to ask God for help in remembering to pray. He is faithful and loving. He wants to draw us closer to his love and equips us with everything we need; he even gave us the Holy Spirit as our helper. A simple, “Help me, Lord,” is enough to get the conversation started. Our relationship with him is the only one that will last for eternity. So, let’s not keep him hangin’ on the line.

May we pray for you? Share a prayer request with us here. We’ve put together a short ebook called “How Do I Pray?” which introduces six ways to reinvigorate your prayer life. Download it free right here. 

Lauren Kleyer is a writer and mom of three from N’West Iowa. When she’s not busy loving on her children, her cup is filled by writing about God’s goodness in her life.