Una

In 1 Thessalonians 5: 17, Paul urges us to "pray continually". He doesn't say "pray a lot". He says pray continually. Unceasingly. Never stop praying.

Do you pray unceasingly? Be honest. If you think that you are praying enough, it's probably a good indication that you aren't. I'm not sure that we could ever pray 'enough'. So often I need to reacquaint my knees with the carpet.

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Una. Una lives in Gatton and is in her 80's. Una is unwell and her frail body would have you believe that her strength is beginning to fail, however her passionate love for the Lord is ever strong. Mark and I visited Una one afternoon while we were in Gatton, and she taught us a lot about what it means to "pray continually". Una understands the desperate importance of Paul's words, and persists in prayer with unwavering joy and conviction.

Every morning, Una prays for Mark. Una had been praying for me as well, however up until our meeting she hadn't been able to give me a name. As we sat in Una's lounge room, we listened as Una told us about her love for Christ and the delight with which she prays. Often, as Una is praying or reading the Bible, she hears God's voice telling her to "sing it to Me". So, she sings to Him. In a soft yet tuneful voice, Una sang to us some of the songs that she sings to her Father. Some lyrics she had written, others were inspired by Psalms and verses. The melodies had stirred within her heart. "Sing it to Me". I wonder if many of us stop to listen to our Father asking His child to sing for Him.

Una then showed us the diary where she keeps written accounts of visions and dreams. In one of her dreams, she likened individual prayers to balloons. In this particular dream, the prayers that lacked meaning and conviction sat idly on the floor, like balloons that were unable to rise. However prayers that are given from the heart, through faith in Christ guided by the Holy Spirit, rise heavenward with the ease of a helium inflated balloon. Una laughed as she told us that every time she sees a balloon on the ground, she can't help but kick it into the air.

As we held hands and prayed together, I couldn't help but let a few rebellious tears slide down my cheeks. This woman taught me a lot in the short amount of time that we spent with her. She encouraged me to persist with prayer. The only time when Una is less consistent with prayer is when she is in hospital, but "He understands those times". She reaffirmed to me the importance of listening, and of responding. She demonstrated to me that a passionate spirit can defy the fatigue of the body. This woman is strong, because Christ is strong in her palpable weakness.