Pray Without Ceasing
Lydia Mulkey
June 21, 2022
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Recently, I came home to find a hanging tag on my doorknob. I figured it was an advertisement for pizza delivery, as it usually is. When I got closer, I realized this tag said, “We prayed for you today.” A church had canvassed my neighborhood and left these tags. They had done a prayer walk, praying for whoever lived in each home. I know there are those who with religious trauma who would find this an unwelcome note, but it made me think about prayer and how we pray. So often we think of prayer as something we must stop to do. There’s nothing wrong with stopping to pray, but there is nothing wrong with walking to pray, either! Prayer is an orientation more than a particular action. Mother Teresa said, “You can pray while you work. Work doesn’t stop prayer and prayer doesn’t stop work. It requires only that small raising of the mind to [God]….” How might the day change if, as we walked and worked and moved through the world, we were to raise our minds to God?
Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
— Mary Oliver
