Pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV

 In the Old Testament we learn that Daniel prayed three times a day and though we can’t be sure of the exact hours they do correspond to a chorus we used to sing, “Jesus-Jesus- Jesus in the morning, Jesus at the noon time. Jesus- when the sun goes down!” That little song neatly sums up the simplicity of prayer. Some of us say, “Well I’m really not a morning person!” Or “I’m no night owl!” as excuses for why we don’t begin or end our days with prayer. But in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul tells us to” pray without ceasing” and king David tells us in Psalm 34 that he will bless the Lord at all times. In fact, everywhere we look in scripture, prayer is far more than just a night cap or a “Good morning Lord.” When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He set an example for us of all different times for prayer.

Early Morning Prayer:  And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

Mid-Day Prayer Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  Luke 11:1

Evening Prayer And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went upon the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone   Matthew 14:23

Jesus prayed when he had to make decisions and he prayed to bless his food. Jesus prayed when he was sorrowful, and He prayed when he was joyful. Jesus prayed for his disciples, and He prayed for Himself. As Jesus prayed at all these different times, He taught us how to pray. How wonderful to remember that the prayer ministry of Christ did not end on the day He went to the Father, but the Bible tells us that right now, He is still praying for us!