Over the years I have been troubled by the imperative of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing.” Lord, how do I do this? I have prayed numerous times. And on this night, Father did say something profound to me. He follows my thoughts constantly whether they are focused, random, or fuzzy. And if He spun the world into place from chaos, His Spirit can bring truth to my heart in both the silent, meditative moments as well as the chaotic cacophony of life.

My job is to trust Him—to listen, to think, to verbalize, to ponder and meditate—and to believe by faith that He will not let me drift from the communication priority He has established for us.

So I encourage you: Relax. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14). You have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and as a loving Father, God will guide you carefully (Ps. 23). Pray without ceasing whether with focus or not, silence or not, words or not, a list or not, but always pray with a heart of anticipation.

Now that the pressure is off, prayer is no longer a requisite of Christian discipline but an anticipated joy. He is not put off by my wandering, wondering thoughts or ill-formed concepts. Au contraire.

He is delighted to have time with me. He is plenty capable of following my mind’s journeys, understanding the desires of my heart when I don’t, and capturing my attention when the paraphernalia of life plugs my ears.