Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thess 5:16-18
What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Well, obviously, it means praying all of the time,
- Not just at church
- Not just after we wake up or before we go to bed
- Not just before a meal
- Not just when we need help
- Not just when something terrible happens
The Jesus Prayer, also called the Arrow Prayer or the Prayer of the Heart, is an answer to this question.
Let's look at some sample prayers in the Holy Bible
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 8:10-14
Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Luke 18:35-43 (and Mark 10:46-5)
What a powerful prayer! This humble prayer stopped Jesus in his tracks and his prayer was answered.
From these two, we have the Jesus Prayer in its most common form:
Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
A shorter form is one we hear throughout the Divine Liturgy, especially when we are called to pray . . . . .
Lord Have Mercy (Kýrie, eléison,)
How does the Jesus Prayer help us to pray without ceasing? Are you familiar with The Tetris Effect? Tetris is a very addictive game in which you repeatedly focus on aligning shapes that are falling with matching forms. After playing for a long time, you begin to see Tetris everywhere. I've had a similar experience when playing chess over and over again for an extended period of time to the extent that, when placing my coffee cup on a table, I placed it just so in order to arrive at checkmate! Through repetition, the Jesus Prayer will enter your heart and you will begin to see the Lord everywhere.
There are three stages of repetition:
- Prayer of the Lips (body) - say the words
- Focused Prayer (mind) - the meaning
- Prayer of the Heart - not something we do, but something we are
Repeating the prayer brings us closer to God and to repentance and to shift away from sin. When it rests in our heart, we even pray while we are sleeping . . .
I sleep, but my heart is awake;Try it, repeat the Jesus Prayer over and over and over again, following the rhythm of another activity that we do without ceasing:
Song of Solomon 5:2
(breathe in) Lord, Jesus Christ, son of God,Just try it, and see if it doesn't make a difference in your life!
(breathe out) have mercy on me, a sinner.
