How to Pray All the Time

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

St. Paul’s exhortation to “pray without ceasing” once baffled me. How can I have a life filled with work, chores, family care, and even leisure time, all while praying? After nearly twenty years of trying to remain connected to Christ throughout my day, I’ve figured out a few ways to integrate prayer into the day. I may not yet be praying without ceasing, but I am definitely moving in the right direction.

Five suggestions to encourage unceasing prayer:

Pray Your Newsfeed

How often do we encounter requests for prayers when perusing our social media feeds? How about the many situations and persons we read about that could surely use our prayers? I don’t stop at every post to pray. Instead, I pray unceasingly by keeping God at the forefront of my thoughts as I read through my social media outlets and offer a “Lord, hear my prayer” or “Lord, have mercy” as I scroll. For more serious situations, I will pause and pray a Hail Mary or Memorare.

Pray Your Neighborhood

This one came to me quite unintentionally. I was scooting about town running errands, when I passed the house where a dear friend’s husband had passed away from brain cancer just a few days earlier. My heart was so moved with compassion for the family, I could not help but offer a prayer for the repose of his soul and for the family that was grieving his loss. As I continued my drive, I passed many homes that invoked memories and thoughts that moved my heart again to prayer. This practice soon became a habit when I drive anywhere. In addition, I include special prayers as I pass police/fire stations, schools, churches, and cemeteries.

Instead of whistling while you work, try prayer!

When my children were little, it felt like my entire life was folding laundry, changing diapers, and walking the grocery store aisles. Since I barely have a domestic bone in my body, these things were torturous some days. Instead of allowing myself to be defeated by these tasks, I turned them into prayer. While folding laundry, I would pray specifically for the owner of whichever article I happen to be handling at the time. I offered up the stench of the stinky bottoms, looking instead into the eyes of the precious gift who had created it for me and praising God that I had a baby with poop to wipe. Today, my kids have long been out of diapers, but I still find plenty of reminders to pray as I wash dishes, wipe crumbs from the table, or take out the trash.

This can also be adapted for work done outside the home. Whatever your occupation, there is always someone to pray for. Process mortgages? Pray for the family purchasing the home. A teacher? Pray for the student failing your math class or holding the lead in the school play. Throughout your day, lift your co-workers or boss in prayer as you answer an email from them or complete assigned tasks.

Take prayer requests on social media

One of my greatest inspirations from the Holy Spirit came one day when I was getting ready to head to Adoration. The idea was to ask for prayer requests on my Facebook page for my upcoming time in Eucharistic Adoration.  I simply place an image of Jesus in the Monstrance (either one I have taken or a royalty-free one from the internet) with the status update, “Going to spend some time with Jesus. Can I bring Him your prayer requests?” I’ve always been amazed at the exuberant response I receive, with sometimes hundreds of requests!

Consider transforming your inner voice to one in open dialogue with the heavens

Talking is just kinda my thing. Though I may only have a few things I know I have a knack for, I am fairly confident chatting is definitely one of them! Since I constantly have a running conversation underway with myself, I decided in 2007 to transform that to an open discussion with heaven. I know that sounds odd initially, but it is truly the most spiritually beneficial thing I have done for myself. I have running conversations all day with whoever will listen to me: God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Mother, and my Guardian Angel. I reach out to the many awesome members of my Saint Posse, which fluctuates depending on my current needs or circumstances, and my special friends, the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Those conversations with myself are fruitful and purposeful. I am not just spinning on the hamster wheel in my head; quite the contrary, now I often get answers, inspirations, and spiritual insights, unexplained feelings of peace, and so much more!

Your turn: how will you pray without ceasing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Copyright 2025 by Allison Gingras

Edited by Theresa Linden