Central Chinese Christian Church in Castro Valley -serving entire Bay Area, Alameda, Hayward, Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Fremont, Union City, Newark, Dublin, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Danville, Livermore, Mountain House, Tracy.

My Lesson On Praying Without Ceasing

During our June 2005 church retreat, I had the opportunity to share with some of you the Lord’s answer to prayer. In early February of 2005, I experienced mild pain in my left pelvic. The pain gradually worsened, so much so that it affected my sleep. An ultrasound revealed a cyst in my left pelvic area and because the doctor could not be sure whether this was benign or malignant, I was told to have a follow-up ultrasound 6 weeks later. Our couples group knew about this and they prayed for me. It was amazing how the Lord answered their prayers. Within 1-2 days, the pain was gone.

Although the pain was gone, I still had to wait for the follow-up ultrasound to see if the cyst was still there, and if it was, whether it had increased in size or not. During the waiting period I did a lot of praying. But you may be surprised to know that I wasn’t so much praying for myself as I was praying for others because I knew that there were already brothers and sisters, saints of the Most High God praying for me. During those few weeks the Lord brought to my attention several people who were suffering from one kind of illness or other. My sister in Toronto emailed me and requested prayer for her friend’s mother who just had a stroke. Thankfully, she was rushed to the hospital in time. However, the doctors were not certain about the extent of damage her brain suffered. I also received an email from a sister from Henry’s previous church. One of her students, a 9-year old girl was diagnosed with leukemia and was rushed to the hospital. She requested that we pray for her as well as her mother (who is a Christian) and her non-believing father. At around the same time, several brethren from CCCC-CV were also suffering from cancer. Meanwhile, I was also uncertain about my own condition, whether it was cancerous or not.

As I was thinking about all the different needs around me, the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 came to mind, where Jesus showed us through this parable that we ought to pray at all times and not lose heart. The verse which challenged me the most was vs. 8 which says “….when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Will He find me faithfully praying day and night? When the Lord decides that my days on earth are numbered, how shall I give account to Him? It’s during this period of time I sensed an urgency to pray, not so much for myself because I knew there were saints praying for me and I was in His good hands, but for the different people I mentioned above. I prayed for them literally day and night. I prayed for them when I was preparing meals, while I was washing vegetables or doing the dishes; I prayed for them when I was in the shower; I prayed for them while I was on the road, throughout the day, and whenever I could remember. I don’t recall ever being so fervent in prayer in my entire Christian life.

Six weeks later, I had my follow-up ultrasound, and was relieved and thankful when the radiologist told me that the cyst was gone and there was no sign of cancerous mass. I was also encouraged to find out that those people I prayed for were either in stable condition, or showed signs of improvement. The Lord indeed is a God who answers prayers.

However, it wasn’t long after I found out that I did not have cancer that I noticed my sense of urgency to pray for the needy had begun to diminish. I wasn’t praying for them day and night anymore. How quickly I had forgotten the lesson the Lord taught me, to pray without ceasing for others.

Shortly after this, I attended a Bible Study group at the First Baptist Church in Castro Valley, and we were studying 1 Thessalonians. Once again the Lord reminded me to pray without ceasing through the example of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 3. I was deeply touched by how much Paul loved the Christians at Thessalonica. How he longed for them and prayed for them day and night. How he described himself like a mother caring for her little children, and a father dealing with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging them to live lives worthy of God. How could he possibly love so much? It shows me that Paul is an example of what a saved person is like. Salvation is not just about going to heaven and obtaining eternal life. It is about being transformed from a selfish, self-seeking life, into a self-giving life. One that doesn’t just think about his/her own needs, but rather is concerned more about the needs of others.

No wonder Paul taught us to pray without ceasing. He mentioned his constant prayer for the saints in most of his epistles. I used to think that this was impossible. How could anyone literally pray without ceasing? I realize now that this is possible when we are transformed by the Lord. And when we care enough to pray, there will always be someone in need of our prayers.

I pray that whatever circumstance I may be in, whether going through a crisis or enjoying peaceful times, I would have the urgency to pray without ceasing for everyone that the Lord brings to my mind.

Bonnie Chau