1 Thessalonians 1:2-4
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
For this cause also thank we God without ceasing...
How can you give thanks to God without praying? When we talk to God are we not praying? We often associate prayer with going to God with some sort of need. But if thanking God can be considered praying, then in this too, Paul is "laboring" as he gives thanks without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Bottom line, here is the will of God in Christ Jesus. Here it is in black and white. His will is for us to give thanks in every thing. Just before that, Paul says again (in the same epistle), "pray without ceasing".
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How hard it was for the three that Jesus took with Him in the garden:
Mark 14:37-38
And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly [is] ready, but the flesh [is] weak.
Does Jesus say this to us now? Was this only for Peter, John, and James. No. This book is for us. And it is my fear that I am so guilty of falling asleep - so often!
This is why I call on other men now. I call on my brothers in Jesus Christ. I need help. I cannot expect help from those that I don't know, but I call on those who I do know, and who know me. Let’s agree to exhort each other to look upon each other and esteem each other higher than ourselves, and to exhort each other to prayer.
Here, in Matthew 26:37 and Mark 14:33, Jesus calls three men, and there is no mention of them watching for themselves, OR for each other.
A heart that does not want to pray will simply not pray, and exhorting a brother to do so, may not cause them to change, but it may. If we're willing to stand with each other, we can at the very least, be able to know that we did not let a brother drift away.
This goes for all the things that on our hearts – intersession for those around us, as well as our loved ones. Let’s agree to help each other carry those burdens and pray.