WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT PRAYER

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 Summary: Three absolute imperatives (do this and always this) followed by a why (because this is the will) and a series of prepositions of the Trinity around us (of God, in Christ, by the Spirit, for you). In our seemingly impossible quest to be always joyful, thankful and prayerful, we are surrounded by the Trinity!  This is why we pray: because it is God's will for us, because we have the salvation of  Jesus, and because the Spirit surrounds us. But we are given another lesson here, teaching us how we can pray joyfully and thankfully about everything.  There is another interconnected trinity in these verses.  How can we be joyful? Through prayer and thanksgiving.  How do we pray?  By appreciating what we have and being joyful about it.  And how do we appreciate? ...

But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you," and they ask me "What is his name?" what shall I say to them? God said to Moses, "I am who I am." - Exodus 3:13-14 An answer to everything: what to call God, but also, to questions being asked, how to pray constantly, rejoice always and be grateful for all that we are given. Here again is the challenge, from  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."   To this, and to everything, God says "I am." This, I believe, is how we learn to rejoice always, by letting God be the open ended story, the rest of the sentence and the unspoken truth of "I am." This is also how we learn to pray constantly, by staying in the presence, the present tense of God, the timeless and always "I am." And this is how we learn to thank God at every turn, appr...