When Praying Seems Impossible

Article Written by Phil Bray

September 23, 2025

“Pray without ceasing;” (1 Thess 5:17). Let that sink it for just a moment. Pray without stopping. Pray continually. Pray in an ongoing unending conversation with God. What does Paul mean by this command? How do you do this? Most of the time we just throw up our hands and say, “I’m just an ordinary Christian. That is an impossible ideal! I’m glad God is gracious!” We then move on without giving it much more thought. Yet, Paul is writing to believers who were fairly new in the faith, believers who had only had the benefit of Paul’s evangelistic and discipleship ministry for a few weeks before being run out of town. He writes this letter to encourage them, answer some questions, and encourage them to be faithful in the midst of suffering. As the letter draws to a conclusion he urges these young ordinary believers to appreciate their newly appointed pastors, to live in peace with one another, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with all people. He reminds them to never repay evil with evil and to always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Then Paul says, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18). 

    There is a whole lot of life-change crammed into those few verses isn’t there? How do we do these things? This is what it means to follow Jesus? This is “ordinary” Christian living? Yes! We cannot dismiss these commands as suggestions or unrealistic and unreasonable expectations. God is instructing us through the apostle Paul how to walk with Jesus, how to draw near to God, how to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. One of those expectations is unceasing prayer. But how? How do we do this? 

    We must acknowledge that the command is not unrealistic or unreasonable. God does not command us to do things in order to watch us squirm, or to create grounds upon which He can condemn us. The book of Deuteronomy, the summation and proclamation of the “Law”, declares over and over that we are to serve God by keeping His “commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good.” (Deut 10:13). God instructs us to pray without ceasing because it will greatly benefit us! It is for our good! 

    We must therefore act from faith, trusting God’s word to be true, His intentions to be good, and His promises to be sure. We pray, from confidence in God, that prayer will be for our good. I believe Paul knows this experientially as well as intellectually for he commands us again and again to be a people “devoted to prayer.” (Rom 12:12; Col 4:2). 

    Trusting God, we then commit ourselves to the practice of prayer. Start by increasing the number of times each day you intentionally stop what you are doing and pray. I have set an alarm on my phone to help me remember it is time to pray. Then, attach a verse of Scripture or particular goal for each time of prayer. Pray according to your plan, cultivating the habit of praying. You will learn to pray as you pray, just like you learn to swim by swimming. Remember, prayer is simply talking with God and if you have not been in the habit of talking with God regularly it will feel stilted and fake at first. Keep going. Keep praying according to your plan and what you will soon discover is that as you intentionally draw near to God, choosing to focus on God, He will draw near to you. In fact He has not left you. You have simply been ignoring Him. He is with us, always. He promised this (Matt 28:19-20; Psalm 23:4). 

    When praying, focus on God. Choose to think of him sitting in the chair next to you or across from you. Treat Him as a person! He is a person. He is there, even though you cannot see Him with your physical eyes. He will reveal His presence to you in and through the praying. He will encourage you, comfort you, and fill you with peace. This is in fact how God instructs us to respond to anxiousness and fear (Php 4:6-7). When you respond to anxiousness with prayer He says that “the peace of God, which surpasses comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” There is an experiential result that comes from God when you pray. He is in fact the God who promises to give you rest in your soul when you come to Him (Matt 11:28-30). 
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    Discipline yourself to pray, by increasing the number of times you pray, intentionally planning what you will pray about ahead of time, and consistently following your plan. Soon you will notice that you pray more often throughout the day as you consistently focus on God’s actual presence in prayer. You will begin talking with Him like you talk to your friends and co-workers. As you grow, increase your planned prayers. Pray with others. Pray spontaneously as you think of God, simply give thanks! Tell Him about your day just as you would your spouse or friend. Ask for His advice as you would a friend or spouse. Vent to God, rather than to your spouse or friends. In order to pray without ceasing you must discipline yourself to see God as a person, a person who is always with you. You must also initially plan your conversations because you have spent so long ignoring Him you don’t know what to talk about. In His grace, He gives us His word to help. Start praying my friends. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.