WOW. If there was ever a time this verse takes on its full meaning, “Pray without ceasing,” it’s during retirement. As kids and teens, lives are so busy with school and activities, we can barely get a dinner prayer whispered. As young married couples with growing families, we are so busy with work and family, as well as a social life even if it revolves around church, that we struggle to find a few quiet minutes to pray before or after the nonstop action of the day.
But the blessed quiet and calm of retirement gives us something we haven’t had much of in our previous days – time to be with the Lord in uninterrupted chunks! If there is one thing we can all do during retirement, it is PRAY! We have free mornings with coffee in hand, we have free evenings to enjoy ourselves, but also to set aside time to pray. We have more time to pray as couples, more time to pray with friends or in groups, more time to devote to prayer ministry if so inclined. We can be active or sedentary, high energy or low energy, we can be traveling for leisure or having normal days at home – but wherever we are and however we are, we can still pray.
I”m sure everyone’s prayer habits vary – the time, the place, the habits. Some of us enjoy early morning prayer, others before bedtime. Some of us find a perfect spot to have books, Bibles and journals gathered, others are fine enjoying nature outdoors and praying. Some of us are spontaneous prayers, others more committed to a prayer routine. But all of us have time to pray if we have the motivation to pray.
E. M Bounds says, “He is the wisest man who prays the most and the best.” By this stage of life, we are credited with wisdom which we have gathered from all the years of experience. So if we want to be the wisest of the wise, we are the ones who are praying the most and the best. Of course “most” is quantitative and “best” is qualitative, so I assume we each have our own ideas about what they mean.
Bounds gives us something to shoot for in this quote, “Christ is himself the illustration and definition of prayer,” but with that thought we may give ourselves a burden we may not be able to carry. Jesus taught us the Lord’s prayer, Jesus spent nights alone in prayer before exhausting ministry, Jesus agonized in prayer in Gethsemane. How do we match his example?
I will advocate for attitude – as well as for habit and practice. How important is prayer to us – not only in retirement, but in general in our faith lives? What role has it played in the past? What role should it play in the future? Some of us are passionate about prayer, some of us are still skeptical that prayer works. Take some time to examen where you are on the prayer spectrum and see what initiative you need to take to make progress in devoting yourself to “Pray without ceasing.” I Thessalonians 5:17
Bounds has encouragement for us…”Let us be so in the habit of prayer, so devoted to prayer, so filled with its rich spices, so ardent by its holy flame, that all heaven and earth will be perfumed by its aroma and nations yet in the womb will be blessed by our prayers.” Another WOW. Just imagine an entire generation of retired folks on their knees, (or not!) in their chairs, in their beds, out doing prayer walks, praying so much that the earth is filled with the perfumed aroma of our words.
There are so many good books on prayer written by people of powerful faith. Type in a search for “classic books on prayer” and see what you can find. Some of my favorites are Tozer, Bounds and Spurgeon. Tim Keller’s book on prayer is great, too, as are others, too many to mention. Staton’s book Praying like Monks, Living like Fools is another good choice. There’s also an amazing devotional book called Magnificent Prayer.
Don't Waste Your Retirement 