A continuous, unceasing relationship with God is one of the great benefits of personal prayer. So often we see people who are sending up emergency "911 prayers" and not realizing the loss they have in their life without the unbroken relationship with the Lord. Once I had a friend who only called me when he wanted something. I kept hoping there would be some time when he would talk to me when he didn't want something but it never happened. It isn't surprising that I never considered him a very real friend. It is comforting to know that God holds on to us, even when we don't "call." But the lack of communication stunts our spiritual growth.
Being "constant in prayer" is the way scripture describes this continuous relationship. Those who understand it make it as natural as any other part of their lives. They have an authentic awareness of His presence. Those who are really "constant" are genuine about their prayer. When I started playing golf I played with the old-time pro Johnny Spence who had been a partner with Sam Snead until becoming a drug addict and a hopeless alcoholic. He had gone to the hospital with one eye clawed out by a fellow addict and had been pronounced dead. To their surprise, the hospital staff found a little life left in him. Subsequently, he was physically restored and then completely renewed through his Christian experience. He started playing golf again and I noticed that when he hit a particularly good shot he would say, "thanks!" and I wondered why. One day I asked him and he said, "I have no right to hit that kind of a shot. It is by divine help." Actually I found myself later on, on those rare occasions when I would hit a fairly good shot, saying "thanks" and I realized I, too, was thanking the Lord. I can assure you that I didn't fill the gratitude cup to overflowing because there just weren't that many good shots. Johnny's continuous relationship with God gave him the joy of saying "thanks." He didn't enter the throne room on an emergency basis only.
Dr. Walter Hearn, a biochemist from Yale and a fellow lecturer gave me a good example of the continuous relationship. During a series of university lectures I was getting ready to shave one morning. Walter walked in and said, "Let's have breakfast." I told him to wait until I finished and he said, "I haven't time. I've got to go to a class rather shortly but I would like to have breakfast with you." I'll never know why, but I dried my face and went to have breakfast with him even though it meant lecturing without a shave. As we sat down at the table he reached in his pocket, took out a small card, scratched on it, and put it back in his pocket. I was curious and asked him what it was. He said he had prayed that I would have breakfast with him - he was marking it off the list.
