June 29

“Praying is being aware of God.  Praying without ceasing is being constantly aware of Him.”  Eugenia Price, S.P.S., 6/29

There were several devotionals today that I could have chosen:  what weapon to use against temptation, how to deal with the big ME, bearing one another’s burdens.  But I keep coming back to Eugenia’s words about praying because it seems to be the umbrella thought for today.  Everything hinges on our relationship with God and as in any good relationship communication must be ongoing.  Prayer is this communication.  The key, though, is the “unceasing” prayer we must maintain with God in order to walk with Him.  We can’t just check in every now and then.  It must be constant.  Eugenia says that this “without ceasing” is a constant awareness of Him.  We don’t have to be in conversation with Him---just aware of Him.  God is at work in us.  His Holy Spirit in us is praying FOR us.  There’s a lot going on in our “hearts”---the place where God resides.  It’s in being aware of this activity that our unceasing prayer takes place.  At any given moment we may be called upon to respond to God’s leading so we must be paying attention.  This awareness keeps us always in tune with God’s voice even while we may be speaking to another person.  This kind of living has nothing to do with “doing”, but rather with “being”---being in a place where we can hear and respond to God.

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Matthew 26:41