Praying Hope - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

As the Apostle Paul concludes his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he emphasized two prioritizing values. The value of corporate fellowship (5:11-15) and corporate worship (5:16-22). All of these values are commands, actions, and plural indicating our participation with others. This Sunday, we’ll learn about the second characteristic of authentic corporate worship, which is prayer. The verse simply says, “Pray without ceasing.” We are to be in a mindset of prayer and have a prayerful attitude of heart. Prayer portrays the believer coming before God, both listening to and speaking to Him. Prayer is accompanied with the Bible. Praying is also an activity. We speak out loud and make our requests known to God. This is to be done without ceasing with a conscious awareness of God’s presence. We are confident that God hears and answers prayer. God is our help in time of need. God is the One we are seeking in prayer.