Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV)

The Lord’s instruction to us is to maintain a constant attitude of prayer. Today, I’m sharing a crucial principle for nurturing an unwavering prayer life: prayer begets more prayer, and conversely, a lack of prayer(“prayerlessness”) leads to further neglect of prayer.

To illustrate this concept, envision our fellowship with God as a fireplace with burning charcoal. The presence of God is the fireplace itself, and our lives represent the individual pieces of charcoal within it. When our communion with Him thrives, we radiate with the Spirit’s fervor, blazing red-hot within the hearth of His presence. Yet, when our communion with Him falters, we resemble charcoal pulled from the fire—losing our glow, transitioning from fiery red to black, and from hot to cold.

Like the charcoal that remains aglow within the fireplace, prayer naturally spurs more prayer. Each time we pray and commune with God, a divine hunger intensifies, compelling us to pray even more. If your prayer life feels lifeless, waning, or on the brink of extinguishing, the most effective way to revive it is to return it to the furnace of prayer. Picture a cold, blackened piece of charcoal that rekindles into a fiery red when placed back in the fire.

The most effective approach to learning to pray or reigniting the flame of your prayer life is to pray—rather than merely seeking guidance from a lesson on prayer, attending a prayer conference or studying various prayer techniques. While these resources have their place, nothing aids your prayer life as profoundly as praying.

Just as prayer begets more prayer, prayerlessness begets further prayerlessness. The longer you go without praying, the more challenging it becomes to rekindle the habit. Based on my experience and understanding of scripture, I’ve discovered that our hearts become hardened the farther we distance ourselves from God.

So, continue to pray ceaselessly; don’t allow the chain to break.

Meditate

Can you summarize the prayer principle explained above in your own words? How would you describe it?

Apply the Word

You might have encountered the advice that the best remedy for not feeling like praying is to pray. Put this principle into action: Let your prayer beget more prayer.

Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit to rekindle and invigorate your commitment to prayer.

Recommended

• The Battle for Your Prayer Life
• What It Means to Wrestle in Prayer 
• Why is Prayer So Difficult?
• How to Set Your Prayer Life on Fire
• Pray Without Ceasing
• View All Deshen Daily Devotionals

Free Mini E-book: From Spiritual Dryness to Flourishing