Squirrel!

I Thessalonians 5:16-18. (CEB)

16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray continually. 18 Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

The first time someone told me that they pray continually I was seriously confused. I was still having trouble trying to understand about prayers that I didn’t have to memorize and use at special times - like grace at meals and the rosary and responsive prayers during mass.  The entire concept of talking to God as if God was an actual person was completely new.  And then someone told me, “I pray without ceasing.”  I tried to wrap my mind around how I might do that, but I really couldn’t picture what that is like.  If I am consciously praying all the time, how can I pay attention to anything else? 

I understood about giving thanks in every situation because I had learned to do daily gratitude lists, and discovered that I could be grateful for the things I didn’t like as well as the things I like.  For example, being grateful for catching a flu bug because it forced me to stay home and rest.  

I understood the rejoice always part.  When things were tough, my sponsor at the time used to say “God didn’t get me clean to be miserable.”  She taught me to try to keep a positive outlook on life, to celebrate each new day no matter what it brought. I’m not always good at that, but I know that if I fail today I can always aim to do better tomorrow.

But praying continually?  It took a while - and by “a while” I mean at least 10 years - before I could come to some understanding of this.  By that time I had learned that I’m not all that good at extemporaneous prayer, or at spending any length of time focused on just praying. I’m not one of those people who is comfortable being asked to pray out of the blue.  I muddle through ok, but unless the Spirit is really strong in me that day I feel awkward and tongue tied.  The seminary professors who taught us about worship design and writing prayers told the class one day.  “You all know I play the piano,” he said. “I’ve been playing for 50 years or more.  I can play pretty much any written music that is put in front of me.  But I cannot play the blues. I can’t just sit down at the piano and improvise around a theme. It is not my gift.”  I have finally accepted that I’m like that.  I’m good at writing prayers, but improvising is not my gift.  

Except for that whole “pray continually” thing.  I have found that I am actually pretty good at that.

I am a popcorn pray-er.  Because I am really easily distracted, people and situations pop into my brain all the time - and I pray as soon as I think of them.  I hear the unemployment report and pray for an individual I know who is not working.   I see a picture of a redhead and pray for a red headed person I know.  Or a box of raisins, and pray for someone I know from Sunmaid. The prayer is short and focused on that person or situation.  It’s pretty much a continuous process, because. . . . Squirrel!  

This may not be how other people understand praying without ceasing, but it’s what works for me.

Holy God, for all the different gifts we have each received, we give you thanks.  We rejoice in your gift to us of Jesus the Christ, and of everything he taught us to know about you.  Let us be willing to pray always, every minute, that your will might be done in all things.  Amen.