“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” – Luke 11:1 KJV

“Pray without ceasing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV

Two ideas stand out in the scriptures quoted above, which I find to be very intriguing.

1. Luke used the words “when he ceased” to refer to what he understood as Jesus’ refraining from praying.
2. Paul used the words “pray without ceasing” to describe how we ought to live before God.

Now, even though Luke had said “when he ceased” in referring to what he understood as Jesus refraining from praying, should we assume that Jesus really stopped praying?

It’s obvious to me that when Jesus’ disciples had asked Him to teach them how to pray, as John taught his disciples, they revealed that they didn’t understand that His life was the School of Prayer, so to speak. In other words, when they had asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, they didn’t realize that He had already answered their question through His example of living in complete obedience to the Father.

You see, Jesus demonstrated that prayer isn’t something that’s done on a whim; rather, it’s a way of life, whereby a person expresses constant communion with God. Indeed, no life has ever so vividly demonstrated what it means to pray without ceasing than His. For He not only looked to the Father for strength to fulfill His will, He revealed perfect love for Him in all that He did. Hence both His thoughts and actions were like a psalm of praise to our heavenly Father.

So, prayer is really about looking to and glorifying the Father at every stage of our lives. Moreover, it’s about taking in all that He desires for us, enjoying His presence every step of the way. It’s about communicating with God.