January 21

Pray without ceasing. — 1 Thess 5:17 BSB

One important help in the life of prayer is the habit of bringing everything to God moment by moment as it happens. This habit can be developed by constant attention, repeating the action until what begins as an act of will becomes spontaneous and second nature.

If we look closely at our lives, we’ll notice that God blesses the things we commit to Him in prayer, while the things we neglect to bring to Him often fail. This is His gracious way of reminding us of our dependence on Him. He holds us so close that we cannot get through even a single minute without His sustaining arm. “In everything… let your requests be made known unto God.”

Let us bring our least petitions,
Like the incense beaten small,
All our cares, complaints, conditions—
Jesus loves to bear them all.