A Persistent Cough
"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Of all the things the disciples observed Jesus doing, one thing impacted their lives like nothing else – His praying. As they witnessed the results of His prayers to His Father, they craved that same spiritual strength and heavenly intimacy. “Teach us to pray,” they requested, and He did.
Prayer is one of the great privileges we have as Christians. We are to pray and to pray often. In fact, Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. Why? Because prayer is the believer’s lifeline to the Father, and it’s a powerful connection. The term we translate as “without ceasing” was used in Paul’s day to describe a “persistent cough.” I think we can all understand that picture. So whenever we cough, let’s be reminded to take a moment to pray to our Father in Heaven. In doing so, we will be practicing what Paul describes as praying without ceasing, and keeping the lifeline to the Father open.