“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18
My daughter participated in a murder mystery dinner party last week. Her character sketch came with instructions for her character to emit ear piercing screams every so often, which my daughter loved. She tells me she would watch the room, wait for people to be almost ready to take a bite of food, and then she would scream. She walked away with the best actress of the night award!
Hopefully intermittent screaming is not a part of your personality, but constant prayer and praise should be. Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing and to magnify the Lord for He is good. These are great verses, but how do we put them into practice?
My daughter, who does not really scream periodically, had to consciously focus on screaming, out loud, every few minutes. She had to adjust to going along with the normal flow of conversation at a dinner party, yet be ready to launch into a scream at any moment. It did not matter how comfortable she was doing it, screaming was her assigned role. Likewise, we as believers have been tasked with praying and praising, it is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us.
I don’t know about you, but I did not come naturally to the task of praying and praising. For those of you familiar with Winnie-the Pooh, my personality resembles Eeyore more than Tigger or Pooh. As a younger person I could readily explain why things wouldn’t work, couldn’t happen and might fall apart. Like Eeyore I was under a constant cloud, expecting the worst and preparing for it.
Thankfully, prayerfully and worthy of praise, God has changed my outlook. I accepted Jesus as my Savior in 1981 and this changed my life, but not all of my bad attitudes and habits! Like my daughter and her screaming, I had to and still have to consciously focus on my responses. Truthfully it took much reading of the Bible for me to even understand what things needed to change! I didn’t understand prayer as a power tool, I thought it was only a way to get dinner started. I had only a glimmer of understanding about God, His love, and what having a relationship with Him meant. Spending time in Scripture, both alone and in services and Bible studies, taught me the importance of praying and praising constantly.
As I make dinner, serve dinner and eat dinner, I am thankful for God’s provision and the people around me. I’m not speaking prayers aloud, but my inner spirit is focused on what God has done in my life, not how my life might fall apart! Instead of planning for the catastrophe, I trust that God is at work in my life. In the ordinary moments I am praying and thankful, in the extraordinary moments I am praying and thankful, and in the disastrous moments prayers are natural and trust is intact.
Pray without ceasing is a call to be ever mindful that God loves you, wants a relationship with you, and is available to you at all times. The key is for us to be available to him at all times. This takes a bit of focus and practice. It takes looking away from screens and up to heaven. It takes faith that someone on the other end of your prayers exists and is listening and speaking to you.
Rejoicing always or praising always is a call to be ever mindful of the powerful God who sent His son to save us all. God sacrificed himself to pay the debt for our sin, there is always something to praise Him for. As the song says, “On your worst day, you’re a child of God.” Be thankful.
Unlike my daughter’s role, where screaming may have earned her an earthly award but had no other benefit, praying and praise bring us into closer relationship with our heavenly father. Like most sports it takes practice, and practice takes time. How grateful I am that my old Eeyore self is not my norm any longer. While I’m not bouncing around like Tigger, more often than not I find myself seeking God to make a way for the ending He deems is best for me.
If you are looking for a simple way to end an autumn meal, try Pumpkin Parfaits. These can be made individually or in a trifle bowl.
Pumpkin Parfaits
- 1 can pureed pumpkin 15 oz
- 1 3.4 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups milk
- 1 8 oz tub of whipped topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups ground ginger snaps
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloces
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
In stand mixer, combine vanilla pudding and milk. Allow to stand for 2 minutes. Add pumpkin and spices, blend together. Add in whipped topping and combine until well blended. Allow to stand until firm.
Grind ginger snaps in a food processor. Be sure to use crispy ginger snaps that will maintain their crunch when ground up. Chop pecans finely.
Using a trifle bowl or 8 parfait cups, layer pudding mixture, ground gingersnaps and pecans, then more pudding mixture, topping with gingersnaps and pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add a dollop of whipped cream to the top, and a ginger snap on the side if you have extra!
