In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul mentions praying without ceasing. I often wondered how in the world this could be possible for anyone. Am I literally supposed to sit get on my knees next to my bed and pray all day?
But, what about coffee?
Yeah. It seemed impossible.
And then, I came across the Jesus Prayer. While it’s origins are unclear, there is consensus its first use came from the Desert Father’s and Mother’s in the 5th century.
The prayer is simple and repeatable. It’s meant to be used whenever one takes a breath. It goes like this:
[Breathe in] Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God,
[Breathe out] Have mercy on my, a sinner.
What’s cool about the prayer is the amount of theology distilled into just those two short breathes.
- We equate Jesus with God.
- We acknowledge that Jesus is alive.
- We recognize Jesus as king.
- We admit our need for a savior.
While there are many used for the Jesus Prayer, we (here at Four by Four) have made it a practice to set a timer on our phone and repeat the prayer and breathing patterns until the timer runs out. 15 minutes usually equates to around 100 repetitions.
Give it a try and let us know what you think!
The sun cannot shine without the light; nor can the heart be cleansed of the stain of destructive thoughts without invoking in prayer the name of Jesus.
St. Hesychios The Priest
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