“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (RSV)
Paul tells us to always rejoice and always give thanks, but the real key message in this scripture is to pray constantly. It’s much easier to rejoice and be thankful when we have assurance that God hears us when we pray.
I was wondering what he means by praying constantly. Most equate prayer to looking at a prayer list, and asking God for all the pressing needs in our lives, our friends’ lives and our family’s lives. People have their own style and formats of prayer, and all prayer is good, but sometimes later in the day, frustrating situations arise that are very unsettling, and we need more prayer, which is probably why Paul tells us to pray constantly.
On days like that, I suspect that we often miss out by thinking prayer is a lengthy, formal way to talk to God, but there is one short and simple prayer that we can pray constantly throughout every day, which is, “Come Holy Spirit.” Those three words, said with sincerity, are transformative words of power.
If we ask the Holy Spirit to come, He always shows up, because He is faithful. In fact, I have discovered that not praying that prayer, is what is missing in a day that seems to be filled with aggravation.
Some days I feel that I have nothing to write, like a writers block, with no ideas for the next meditation, but when I pray “Come Holy Spirit,” He always comes through, and gives me a message to share. It might happen through an inspiring event during the day, or reading a familiar scripture with some new meaning, or through something heard through a media source like TV or radio.
Something definitely happens when I pray that simple prayer. It’s as if He becomes activated and goes right to work, to inspire the next meditation. The Holy Spirit comes through 100% of the time because that three word prayer brings the power we need in the moment, whether it’s patience, direction, or wisdom. He is our gift from Heaven just as Jesus promised.
The Spirit dwells in every believer, but He always behaves like a gentleman, until He is called upon. He remains quietly within each person, never forcing His will on us, but waits patiently to be invited into our situation. When we call upon Him by saying “Come Holy Spirit,” we will notice the day is different in a good way, since He’s been welcomed into our lives.
The message is simple, praying constantly can simply mean asking the third person of the Trinity, throughout our day, to “Come”.
Jesus told us that He is sending us a Helper, who will reveal all truth, to guide and comfort us, by pouring new hope into our hearts when we need it most.
This week we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, the day that God first sent His Spirit down to men and women in a powerful and dramatic way. That first day of Pentecost came as a gift from Heaven, wrapped in a loud, rushing wind, and topped with bows of flaming fire. The same Spirit is in us today, dwelling as a gentle dove, with a quiet whisper instead of a loud wind, and He politely waits for us to invite him into each of our life situations. We activate Him by asking Him to “Come.”
Lord, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit who is in us and waiting to be actively involved in every part of our day. We invite you to transform our hearts, our minds and the events of our day as we pray constantly, “Come Holy Spirit.” Amen
