Keep On Praying!

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

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This verse - part of the third Sunday in Advent readings - is another great entrant in the "short-easy-to-memorize-Bible-verses" list. In no more than NINE words, you can memorize this verse in THREE languages: Latin: sine intermissione orate English: Pray without ceasing and Klingon: tlhob Hutlh mevtaH. [You can even do it in fewer words. A more grammatical Klingon might be "reH yItlhobtaH" - always you-be-praying.]

The important word here is pray. In Greek it is proseuchomai (pros-yoo'-khom-ahee), from pros- (unto, toward), and euchomai (yoo'-khom-ahee, to ask) and it appears over 80 times in the Bible. For Klingon, I've used the word "tlhob," to ask.

This season, the season celebrated in churches as Advent, represents a time of anticipation for Christians who understand our moment in history as one of waiting. They prepare for the coming of Jesus - his advent - by recalling and reenacting in story and song, his arrival as a baby. Caught in this tension between remembering and longing for his return, we really do need Paul's advice:

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing.

The message of Advent and its completion in Christmas is Immanuel - God is with us.

This may sound simply like acknowledging the presence of God. The Vulcans have a word for that - a'tha. This is the Vulcan word for the experience, the knowledge of God's presence - something apparently present in ALL Vulcans from birth. This does not seem to be our human experience, nor the Klingon one judging by the Klingon claim to have "killed" their gods

But just knowing, even experiencing God's existence isn't enough though. As James notes: The demons also believe, and shudder. James 2:19

Here is where

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing.

is essential. A life of prayer - continuous prayer - is a life of relationship, not mere "fact." Praying links us closely to God - just as regular conversation with friends builds your relationship with them. After all, how much do you think about a friend you haven't talked to for years?

This time of year so often focuses on PRESENTS -and too often our prayers are like Janis Joplin's "Oh Lord, won't you give me a Mercedes Benz?" - mere Santa Claus lists. But if we live - continually in prayer it will be God's PRESENCE with that we seek. The gift I need to open and use are in these simple words:

tlhob Hutlh mevtaH.
Pray without ceasing.