I just signed up to pray during our 6th annual Prayer Vigil which is scheduled for February 12-13.

Before you read any further in this Reflection, please click this link:
 http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084da4ad29a3f49-johns and sign up for your hour of prayer.

Seeing the time segments and the names of those who have signed up to pray, my mind went to Scripture. Paul encourages us to pray without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Typically, I have viewed this imperative as an impossible standard to reach. I'd be fooling myself if I believed that I could pray without ceasing in any given day. My mind darts from idea to idea to idea and most of these ideas aren't related to praying. How in the world can I pray without ceasing?

Well, Paul isn't writing this to an individual, he is sharing this encouragement with the church. Perhaps the one time a year that we faithfully fulfill Paul's challenge to prayer without ceasing is during our  Prayer Vigil. Perhaps Paul is sharing a secret with us; when we are unified together in prayer we are more aligned with God's will. During our Prayer Vigil, we are praying for those in need. We are praying for direction. We are praying for our church, our nation, our neighbor, ourselves.

Through an unbroken chain of prayer, we are actually doing what Paul instructs in verse 15 of the same chapter:  "See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people."

If you chose to read this Reflection without clicking the link to sign up for the Prayer Vigil please do so now http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084da4ad29a3f49-johns.

We are much better at seeking what is good for all when we all are in prayer together!

To God be the glory.

Prayer for Today

Teach us to pray without ceasing, O Lord, and fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can be persistent in seeking out the common good for all people. In Christ name, Amen.