Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess 5:16-18
Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Hebrews 13:15
Does Anybody Really Do This - Is It Even Possible?
I was already familiar with the many Bible verses telling us to pray continually, always giving thanks and praise to God no matter what the circumstances, but I had never encountered anyone who seemed to take these commands seriously until I read The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. While the book inspired me to try to get serious about obeying these commands and seeking to be always aware of God’s presence, it didn’t give much practical advice on how to do it. So I turned to God in prayer, expressing my desire to do what He was telling me to do, and asking for His guidance on how to actually do this.
Ten Words That Changed My Life
Shortly after that, a simple prayer came to me—only ten words that totally changed my relationship with God:
“Praise you Father; Thank you Jesus; Guide me Holy Spirit.”
This prayer is a summary of the basics of the Christian walk:
Praise you Father – We are to praise God in everything.
(Over 200 references, especially in the Psalms, Matt 11:25, 21:16, Luke 10:21, Eph 1:3, 1 Pet 1:3, Rev 19:5)
Thank you Jesus – We are told to pray “with thanksgiving,” and to be thankful in all circumstances.
(1 Chron 16; Ps 100, 105, 106, 107, 118, 136; Eph 5:20; Col 1:12, 3:17; 1 Thess 5:18; Rev 4:9; many others)
Guide Me Holy Spirit – I surrender my life to You and ask You to empty me and cleanse me of my old self, so You can continually fill me with the Joyful Fire of your Merciful love, guiding my every thought and step in keeping with Your will. (Acts 4:31, 6:5, 7:55, 9:17, 11:24, 13:9, 13:52; 1 Cor 6:19; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:16-18, 22-26; 1 Pet 1:12; 2 Pet 1:21; many others)
Using the Prayer
This is a very easy prayer to pray. It doesn’t take any concentration, and it flows easily with whatever I am doing, such as walking, cooking, cleaning, or driving. In a crowd, I look at a different person as I pray each phrase—praising God for one person, thanking Jesus for dying for another person, and asking the Holy Spirit to come into another person’s life. If I encounter a difficult problem or a hostile person, praying this prayer helps me to "keep my eyes on God", and to trust Him even in those difficult situations. It is also very easy to use with the Sign of the Cross.
It took a while, but eventually it became a habit that focused my gaze on God at all times, until I was literally “practicing the presence of God” every waking moment of my day, thanking and praising God in all situations. If I become aware that I am not praying, I start praying again - it's that simple!
Expanding the Prayer
It is also very easy to expand the prayer by starting with Praise You Father, Thank You Jesus, and then adding a specific prayer to the Holy Spirit:
…Empty me/Cleanse me Holy Spirit
…Fill me/Guide me Holy Spirit
…Strengthen me/Protect me Holy Spirit
…Keep me Holy, Holy Spirit
…Keep me Righteous Holy Spirit
…Keep me Humble Holy Spirit
…Keep me Focused Holy Spirit (This one is for attention deficit people like me!)
…Keep me Pure Holy Spirit
…Make me Christ’s Light to the World Holy Spirit
…Make me a fountain of Christ’s Living Water Holy Spirit
You can use whatever is appropriate for your situation. It is especially useful to pray back to God His commands to us in Holy Scriptures, acknowledging that we can’t achieve holiness in our own strength, but only through His love and His grace. Here is a list of suggested verses to use. They are written for group prayer, but you can use them individually by changing “us/our” to “me/my”.
Praise you Father – We are to praise God in everything.
(Over 200 references, especially in the Psalms, Matt 11:25, 21:16, Luke 10:21, Eph 1:3, 1 Pet 1:3, Rev 19:5)
Thank you Jesus – We are told to pray “with thanksgiving,” and to be thankful in all circumstances.
(1 Chron 16; Ps 100, 105, 106, 107, 118, 136; Eph 5:20; Col 1:12, 3:17; 1 Thess 5:18; Rev 4:9; many others)
Guide Me Holy Spirit – I surrender my life to You and ask You to empty me and cleanse me of my old self, so You can continually fill me with the Joyful Fire of your Merciful love, guiding my every thought and step in keeping with Your will. (Acts 4:31, 6:5, 7:55, 9:17, 11:24, 13:9, 13:52; 1 Cor 6:19; Rom 8:9; Gal 5:16-18, 22-26; 1 Pet 1:12; 2 Pet 1:21; many others)
Using the Prayer
This is a very easy prayer to pray. It doesn’t take any concentration, and it flows easily with whatever I am doing, such as walking, cooking, cleaning, or driving. In a crowd, I look at a different person as I pray each phrase—praising God for one person, thanking Jesus for dying for another person, and asking the Holy Spirit to come into another person’s life. If I encounter a difficult problem or a hostile person, praying this prayer helps me to "keep my eyes on God", and to trust Him even in those difficult situations. It is also very easy to use with the Sign of the Cross.
It took a while, but eventually it became a habit that focused my gaze on God at all times, until I was literally “practicing the presence of God” every waking moment of my day, thanking and praising God in all situations. If I become aware that I am not praying, I start praying again - it's that simple!
Expanding the Prayer
It is also very easy to expand the prayer by starting with Praise You Father, Thank You Jesus, and then adding a specific prayer to the Holy Spirit:
…Empty me/Cleanse me Holy Spirit
…Fill me/Guide me Holy Spirit
…Strengthen me/Protect me Holy Spirit
…Keep me Holy, Holy Spirit
…Keep me Righteous Holy Spirit
…Keep me Humble Holy Spirit
…Keep me Focused Holy Spirit (This one is for attention deficit people like me!)
…Keep me Pure Holy Spirit
…Make me Christ’s Light to the World Holy Spirit
…Make me a fountain of Christ’s Living Water Holy Spirit
You can use whatever is appropriate for your situation. It is especially useful to pray back to God His commands to us in Holy Scriptures, acknowledging that we can’t achieve holiness in our own strength, but only through His love and His grace. Here is a list of suggested verses to use. They are written for group prayer, but you can use them individually by changing “us/our” to “me/my”.
Suggested Endings for Praying Continually Prayer
Praise You Father; Thank You Jesus; [xxxx] Holy Spirit
Praise You Father; Thank You Jesus; [xxxx] Holy Spirit
Empty us/Cleanse us (Ps 51:2/51:7 +)
Fill us/Guide us (Ps 25:5/31:3/43:3/48:14/Jn 16:13/+) Strengthen us/Protect us (Ps 119:28/25:21/Is 35:3/+) Keep us focused on Jesus (Heb 12:2) Enlighten us (Eph 1:18) Encourage us (Ps 10:17) Give us perseverance (Rom 5:3) Strengthen our character (Rom 5:3) Fill us with hope (Rom 5:3) Strengthen our gifts (Rom 12:6) Help us to make good use of our gifts (1 Pet 4:10) Fill us with knowledge (James 3:17) Strengthen our faith (James 3:17) Give us wisdom (James 3:17) Keep our spiritual fervor strong (Rom 12:11) Make us joyful in hope (Rom 12:12) Keep us patient in affliction (Rom 12:12) Make us faithful in prayer (Rom 12:12) Fill us with thanksgiving (Eph 5:4) Fill us with love (Gal 5:22) Fill us with joy (Gal 5:22) Fill us with peace (Gal 5:22) Make us patient and longsuffering (Gal 5:22) Make us kind (Gal 5:22) Make us good (Gal 5:22) Make us faithful (Gal 5:22) Make us gentle (Gal 5:22) Strengthen our self-control (Gal 5:22) Strengthen our desire to do your will (Ps 40:8) Help us to do your will (Mark 3:35) Keep our hearts loyal to you (2 Chron 29:18) Make us ready (Luke 12:40) Create in us a pure heart (Ps 51:10) Renew a steadfast spirit within us (Ps 51:10) Help us to lead a blameless life (Ps 101:2) Keep us from any evil (1 Chron 4:10/Ps 141:4) Search us, test us (Ps 139:23) Lead us in the everlasting way (Ps 139:24) Show us our hidden faults (Ps 19:12) Keep us from willful sins (Ps 19:13) Make our words pleasing to you (Ps 19:14) Make our meditations pleasing to you (Ps 19:14) Keep us from other gods (Ex 20:3) Keep us from making idols (Ex 20:4) Help us to never misuse our Lord’s name (Ex 20:7) Help us keep the Sabbath holy (Ex 20:8) Help us honor our mothers and fathers (Ex 20:12) |
Keep us from murder in thought/deed (Ex 20:13)
Keep us from adultery in thought/deed (Ex 20:14) Keep us from stealing in thought/deed (Ex 20:15) Keep us honest (Ex 20:16) Keep us from coveting (Ex 20:17) Set a guard over our mouths (Ps 141:3) Guard our lives (Ps 97:10) Put a hedge of protection around us (Job 1:10) Guide us into all truth (Jn 16:13) Make us a slave to righteousness (Rom 6:16) Help us to proclaim the gospel (Rom 15:16) Keep our way pure (Ps 119:9) Help us to hide your word in our hearts (Ps 119:11) Make us content (1 Tim 6:6) Give us a servant’s heart (Mark 10:43-45) Make us humble (Is 66:2) Make us contrite (Is 66:2) Keep us from boasting except in the cross (Gal 6:14) Keep us open about our weaknesses (2 Cor 12:9b) Keep us alert (Eph 6:18) Help us to comfort others (2 Cor 1:4) Give us understanding (Daniel 10:12) Teach us your way (Ps 86:11) Help us to walk in your truth (Ps 86:11) Make every thought obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5) Keep us from loving the world (1 John 2:15) Fill us with a love for you (Mark 12:30-31) Fill us with a love for others (Mark 12:30-31) Help us pray continually (1 Thes 5:16-18) Help us give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:16-18) Help us to act justly (Micah 6:8) Make us merciful (Micah 6:8) Show us the good we ought to do (Jas 4:7) Help us do good to all people (Gal 6:10) Establish the work of our hands (Ps 90:176) Help us to seek justice (Is 1:17) Help us to encourage the oppressed (Is 1:17) Fill us with a spirit of power (1 Tim 2:7) Fill us with a spirit of love (1 Tim 2:7) Fill us with a spirit of self-discipline (1 Tim 2:7) Help us bear much fruit (Jn 15:8) Equip us for doing your will (Heb 13:21) Work in us what is pleasing to you (Heb 13:21) Help us keep your commands (1 Tim 6:14) Fill us with godliness (1 Tim 4:8) Unify us (Jn 17:11) Make us Christ’s light to the world (Mt 5:14) |
My Experience
Here are some of the ways I found this prayer helpful:
Uncomfortable Situations - I used to travel extensively, and the long hours in crowded and noisy terminals, airplanes and hotels would get on my nerves, but when I started praying continually, it relaxed me and helped the time to go faster.
Driving - Like many people, I tend to get upset when another driver cuts me off, however, it is hard to be upset with another driver when I am praising God.
Difficult Situations - When I am in a particularly difficult or tense situation, I often don't know what to pray or may not be able to focus enough to pray, but I can continue to praise God, thank Jesus, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me through that situation.
Staying Focused - I like to climb mountain trails at a fast walking pace. I have no problem focusing on the way up, but on the way back down I am tired and I have already seen everything on that route, so my mind starts to wander, which is very dangerous coming down a mountain. It helps for me to pray continually, asking the Holy Spirit to keep me focused.
Going to Sleep - If I am having trouble getting to sleep, I pray this prayer, slowly inhaling and exhaling:
Inhale - Praise You; Exhale - Father; Inhale - Thank You; Exhale - Jesus;
Inhale - Guide me; Exhale - Holy; Inhale and Exhale - Spirit
ASSIGNMENT
Challenge yourself to see how consistently you can pray this prayer throughout the day, from when you wake up until just as you are falling asleep, and even when you wake up during the night. (Ps 63:4-6) On the other hand, don't stress about it. Whenever you realize you are not praying, just start praying again.
SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSE
Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thess 5:16-18
Here are some of the ways I found this prayer helpful:
Uncomfortable Situations - I used to travel extensively, and the long hours in crowded and noisy terminals, airplanes and hotels would get on my nerves, but when I started praying continually, it relaxed me and helped the time to go faster.
Driving - Like many people, I tend to get upset when another driver cuts me off, however, it is hard to be upset with another driver when I am praising God.
Difficult Situations - When I am in a particularly difficult or tense situation, I often don't know what to pray or may not be able to focus enough to pray, but I can continue to praise God, thank Jesus, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me through that situation.
Staying Focused - I like to climb mountain trails at a fast walking pace. I have no problem focusing on the way up, but on the way back down I am tired and I have already seen everything on that route, so my mind starts to wander, which is very dangerous coming down a mountain. It helps for me to pray continually, asking the Holy Spirit to keep me focused.
Going to Sleep - If I am having trouble getting to sleep, I pray this prayer, slowly inhaling and exhaling:
Inhale - Praise You; Exhale - Father; Inhale - Thank You; Exhale - Jesus;
Inhale - Guide me; Exhale - Holy; Inhale and Exhale - Spirit
ASSIGNMENT
Challenge yourself to see how consistently you can pray this prayer throughout the day, from when you wake up until just as you are falling asleep, and even when you wake up during the night. (Ps 63:4-6) On the other hand, don't stress about it. Whenever you realize you are not praying, just start praying again.
SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSE
Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thess 5:16-18