If we delved into scripture to reveal to us what a lifestyle of prayer looked like, we would first look to Jesus as our model and example. One of the others we would model is the Apostle Paul who did his best to imitate Christ in all he did. Paul was a man of prayer. He imitated Jesus in this way. Prayer was a major part of Paul’s daily life and something that sustained him through all seasons and circumstances. When we read Paul’s words in this letter to the church in Thessalonica, we can clearly see a connection between prayer, joy, and gratitude. It is this view and perspective of prayer that led Paul to adopt prayer into his daily life instead of prayer being an occasional thing. Paul’s perspective of prayer is very different from many other views. Often, our idea of prayer over the centuries has been one that is somber and serious. We need to frown when we pray or out on a grimacing visage that communicates our anguish and desperate need for God. Any enthusiasm or joviality in prayer would be interpreted as not taking God or prayer seriously...but this view is not what we see in Scripture. Prayer is an act that can demonstrate delight and can bring a person joy even when done with humility and reverence. We can smile and even laugh when we pray, no matter the circumstances.

There are many people who used to pray every day, but have ceased, or those who do so occasionally or have now stopped altogether; some may continue in a way that is not joy-filled or faith-filled. This may be your story; you may have prayed passionately and with joy when you were first saved, but something happened along the way. So what causes people to take a step back from prayer? The great John Bunyan said it like this: “Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.” People get caught up in sin, distracted, or disillusioned in its grasp. They may fall into a tragedy or a trap of offense or an apathetic loss of faith. Unfortunately, these things can happen to even the strongest of Christians. When a person stops praying there is an ensuing disconnection from God.  There is always a loss of joy, gratitude, passion, and purpose. The emotions attached to these things can be faked for a time, but the effects of disconnection always become harder to mask. Sin always leads to a loss of joy connected to the things of God, a loss of persistence in the things of God, and a loss of gratitude for who God is and what he has provided. Sin leads us in the opposite direction of heartfelt prayer. In sin, a lifestyle of prayer soon becomes swallowed up by descent into selfish me-first living.

One of the reasons Paul was able to maintain a joy-filled lifestyle of prayer is that Paul made a decision to place prayer as a first response rather than a last resort. This was modeled by Jesus, but Paul followed in his footsteps. This idea of total submission and trust in God was also written about in Proverbs 3. This brings up a great question that we all need to wrestle with: What do you turn to in the face of pain? What is your first response to a tragedy, a difficult circumstance, or bad news? What do you run to in order to soothe the pain? Is it distraction, work, a hobby, angry outbursts, or addictions? Or, is your first response prayer? We must desire to be people of prayer and actively live that lifestyle to see God accurately and have the right perspective of him. When you see God accurately, you cannot help but to run to him as your strong tower in times of suffering and desperation. Not as a last resort, but as your first response.