Have you ever struggled to "pray without ceasing"?
We are exhorted to "pray without ceasing" in I Thessalonians 5:17. What does that really mean?
There are connections you can see in the Greek New Testament that are not always obvious in translation. And they may help you interpret it.
In I Thessalonians, the word ἀδιαλείπτως (adialeiptōs, without ceasing) is used 3 times - in 1:3, 2:13 and 5:17.
"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" (I Thess 1:3, KJV)
"And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers." (I Thess 2:13, ESV)
"Pray without ceasing" (I Thess 5:17, KJV, ESV and others)
The King James translates ἀδιαλείπτως (adialeiptōs) as "without ceasing" consistently. The English Standard Version (ESV) uses "constantly" twice and "without ceasing" once.
Well, twice. ἀδιαλείπτως (adialeiptōs) is used only one other time in the New Testament:
The adjective form ἀδιάλειπτος (adialeiptos) is used in Romans 9:2 and II Timothy 1:3, but that's it.
(The difference between ō and o is the difference between omega, ω and omicron, ο.)
So given all these references, what does "pray without ceasing" mean to you?
Note: διαλείπω (dialeipō, without the alpha) is not used in the New Testament, but is known in Ancient Greek. As you would expect, it means delay, cease or stop.
