We should spend our lives in constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Some portions of the Bible can be confusing to understand without deeper study, but most of it is perfectly clear for anyone to understand. This command to “pray constantly” is one of those teachings. There is no way to interpret this command as making sure we have a ten-minute quiet time in the morning, or that we give thanks before a meal.
Those are fine things to practice, but they are only part of what the Bible commands us to do. To pray constantly means we never say amen. All day and every day, we are to be in perpetual communication with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We know Jesus is in all things (Colossians 1:17), so knowing He is always there, why not talk to Him? We do not serve a God who is distant but One who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Why waste the chance to speak with the King of kings and Lord of Lords? The God of infinite wisdom and knowledge is only a conversation away, but we consistently squander the opportunity to speak to the One we claim to love the most. This is illogical and a waste of the life entrusted to us.
God designed us to worship and fellowship with Him (Isaiah 43:21; 1 Peter 2:9). Those desires are at the core of every human being. Some hide it, some deny it, and others outright reject it. The funny thing about truth is, no matter what you decide to do with it doesn’t change it from being true. And the truth is, God created us to enjoy and commune with Him. Communication with God is in our DNA. We never have to stop talking to Him, never have to pause, and never say amen.
Most Christians say “amen” to signal the end of their prayer. Why do we do that? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus teaching the disciples to pray. Matthew is the only one that includes Jesus saying, “amen”, and even some of the earliest manuscripts omit that sentence. Regardless, the use of the word in the time of Jesus was different from how we use it today. In earlier times, it meant agreement, truth, or certainty. Kind of like an exclamation point. We, on the other hand, use it to signal the end of our prayer.
But what if we didn’t? What if we never say amen and instead lived our lives in constant prayer? Imagine how much more rewarding life would be if we did that! Stress, fear, and dread would all take a back seat to our conversation with Jesus. Our focus could be consistently on Him, allowing the problems of this life to roll off our backs.
Eternity will not be enough time for us to understand our fathomless Savior. We will never know all we want to know about Him. So why not get started now? Why waste another minute thinking of worthless things that are guaranteed to fade and die when we could spend our days contemplating the matchless love, mercy, and beauty of Jesus? Begin praying right now and never say amen. Live your life in the presence of our King.