# God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 3

- Link: https://fontlife.com/gods-social-media-prayer-part3/
- Published: 2013-11-25T08:00:00-05:00
- Author: Victor Font

[⌊God's Social Media: Prayer—Part 3⌉⌊God's Social Media: Prayer—Part 3⌉[

Image Courtesy of [Evan Courtney](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mufan96/2741759137/)

I used to wonder how anyone could pray without ceasing. I pictured Christians walking
around with hands folded, heads bowed, and eyes closed, bumping into everything.
While certain postures and specific times set aside for prayer have an important
bearing on our communication with God, to “pray at all times” obviously does not
mean we are to pray in formal or noticeable ways every waking moment. And it does
not mean we are to devote ourselves to reciting ritualistic patterns and forms of
prayer.

To “pray without ceasing” basically refers to recurring prayer, not nonstop talking.
It is to be our way of life—we’re to be continually in an attitude of prayer.

I think of praying at all times as living in continual God-consciousness, where 
everything we see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness
of and surrender to our Heavenly Father. It is something I share with my Best Friend—
something I instantly communicate with God. To obey this exhortation means that,
when we are tempted, we hold the temptation before God and ask for His help. When
we experience something good and beautiful, we immediately thank the Lord for it.
When we see evil around us, we ask God to make it right and to allow us to help 
accomplish that, if it is according to His will. When we meet someone who does not
know Christ, we pray for God to draw that person to Himself and to use us to be 
a faithful witness. When we encounter trouble, we turn to God as our Deliverer.

## Fellowship with God

Since the ultimate purpose of our salvation is to glorify God and to bring us into
intimate, rich fellowship with Him, failure to seek God in prayer is to deny that
purpose. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,” says the Apostle
John, “that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3).

Imagine spending an entire workday with your best friend at your side. You would
no doubt acknowledge his presence throughout the day by introducing him to your 
friends or business associates and talking to him about the various activities of
the day. But how would your friend feel if you never talked to him or acknowledged
his presence? Yet that’s how we treat the Lord when we fail to pray. If we communicated
with our friends as infrequently as some of us communicate with the Lord, those 
friends might soon disappear.

Our fellowship with God is not meant to wait until we are in heaven. God’s greatest
desire, and our greatest need, is to be in constant fellowship with Him now, and
there is no greater expression or experience of fellowship than prayer.

## The Ways and Means of Prayer

In Ephesians 6:18 Paul says we are to pray with “all prayer and supplication.” The
Greek word translated “prayer” (also in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.”)
is the most common New Testament word for prayer and refers to general requests.
The word translated “supplication” refers to specific prayers. Paul’s use of both
words suggests our necessary involvement in all kinds of prayer, every form that
is appropriate.

### The Posture

To pray all the time necessitates being in various positions because you will never
be in the same position all day. In the Bible, people prayed standing:

> And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed 
> this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand _here_ by 
> the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water:
> And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher,
> I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels
> drink also: _let the same be_ she _that_ thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac;
> and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.—Genesis
> 24:12–14

Lifting up their hands:

> I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath
> and doubting.—1 Timothy 2:8

Sitting:

> Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the
> house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until
> even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.—Judges 
> 20:26

Kneeling:

> And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying
> unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.—Mark 1:40

Looking upward:

> These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the
> hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:—John 17:1

Bowing down:

> And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.—Exodus
> 34:8

Placing their heads between their knees:

> So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; 
> and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,—1
> Kings 18:42

Pounding on their breasts:

> And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as _his_ eyes unto
> heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.—Luke
> 18:13

Facing the temple:

> Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and 
> his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees
> three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.—
> Daniel 6:10

<= [God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 2](https://fontlife.com/blog/gods-social-media-prayer-part2/)

[God’s Social Media: Prayer—Part 4](https://fontlife.com/blog/gods-social-media-prayer-part4/)
=>