Chapter 94

On Unceasing Prayer in Spirit

What does it mean to pray unceasingly? To be unceasingly in a prayerful disposition. A prayerful disposition is the thought of God and feeling toward God together. Thought of God—the thought of His omnipresence, that He is everywhere, sees all things and sustains all things. Feeling toward God—the fear of God, love for God, zealous desire to please Him alone in all things, with the same desire to avoid all that displeases Him, and above all—surrender of yourself to His holy will without protest and acceptance of all that happens as coming directly from His hand. Feeling toward God can exist in all our actions, occupations and circumstances, if it is not merely sought but already planted in the heart.

Thought can be drawn away by various objects; but even then it is possible to cultivate the habit of not departing from God, and to engage in all things in the light of remembrance of God. Behold, these two—thought and feeling toward God—this is where your whole effort must be. When they are present, prayer exists, even when there are no prayer words.

(Letter 947. Vol. 6, pp. 20–21)