Praying Undistracted Prayers

Some people view prayer like they would a stop at the coffee shop on the way to work. They treat it like their morning jolt of caffeine.

 

Prayer should be much more precious to us than a trendy, casual, I-checked-in-with-God-today kind of thing. Prayer is not about checking a box. It is not about feeling good about ourselves because we graced the Almighty with our presence by praying for a whole one-minute-and-twenty-seven-seconds as we were driving through rush hour traffic. I know that this sounds abrupt, but I am trying to get the point across that God desires so much more time with us than we often give Him.

Of course, not everyone has three hours every day to pray in the morning. But the time that we do have should be undistracted by to-do lists and electronic devices. (Valuable Tip: Unless necessary, don’t take your phone into your prayer room. At least, turn off the ringer.) 

If you are a parent, prayer might require some serious schedule adjustment. Probably the only way you will be able to pray without distractions is to set your alarm clock and get up before anyone else. This might seem undoable but perhaps you can adjust bedtime so that your children get to sleep earlier. This way, you can get to bed earlier too and you can get up earlier. 

If this idea makes you groan with weariness, just think of the benefits. Prayer will enable you to remain calm even when your children are not. It will keep your emotions in check so that you do not raise your voice in anger and yell at them. You will be better equipped to deal with stressful situations. As difficulties come up during the day, you will have a reserve of strength to draw from that was built up during your early morning prayer. Your children will sense that you are less stressed. That will give them security and eventually they will become calmer.

 

Homework Assignment: Think about what you can do to remove distractions from your prayer time. Then, incorporate your ideas into your daily schedule and enjoy the benefits of undistracted time spent with God!