When I first read, "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes. 5:16), my immediate thought was, "Well, I guess I don't know what prayer is, then!"
How does one do that?! The Bible doesn't give a prescriptive answer, but let me share what helped me.
When I first became serious about my faith, I would sincerely pray in the parking at work, then work, clock out and pray again. I would regularly check out of being with God during my shift. I wouldn't sin, necessarily, during that time, but I'd just get busy and forget about who was supposed to be the most important part of my life.
It sounds silly, but to address this I would set a timer every 15 minutes during my shift. When the timer would chime, I'd quietly say, "You're here, and so am I." 3 seconds. That's it. It was simply a time to say, "Hi!" to God in the midst of everything going on around me. I was trying to shift my awareness and be more open to God's Spirit in the moments and rhythms of my day. There was nothing magical about 15 minutes, but I wanted to train myself so I used that structure to practice tuning into the truth that He is with me.
The goal was awareness and presence, not necessarily starting a conversation.
What practice or structure could you put in place to help you remember God's nearness in your day?
