Finding Time to Pray
24 hours minus the standard 8 hours for sleeping, 8 for work, 2 for traffic, 3 for eating, and 3 for things which you don’t even remember doing, leaves very little time for prayer. If you’re like some people, finding time to pray amidst a hectic schedule is seemingly not possible. Maybe I’ll pencil you in for next week, God?
Praying is simply allowing your spirit to communicate with God, you talking to God. Even when speaking about humanly relationships, the depth of communication between the two people indicates the health of their relationship. The more you talk to God, getting to know each other by sharing your thoughts, feelings and dreams to Him and by allowing Him to answer you through inspiration and acts of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself growing closer to Him as the communication sharpens.
Many people think praying is only something done on Sunday in church or during a time of utter desperation for God’s Divine help when it should be a ritual, but not done ritualistically, in our daily lives. Since Christianity is all not all about what we can do for God but about what God has done for us, prayer many of the times is giving thanks to God.
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Here are some places in the day you can pray to warm-up your praying habits:
· Good Morning!: Upon opening your eyes, devote one minute to thank God for giving you a brand new day and another day to live under His grace.
· Before you start your car: Give a short prayer to God, asking Him to guide and protect you while you drive. Ask him to grant you concentration as you drive to ensure your safety as well as the safety of others around you.
· We’re Here: After arriving at your destination, turn off the car and bow your head for a few seconds to thank God for guiding you safely along the way.
· Chow Time: Stop! Many people forget to pray before they take a sip of the soda accompany their meal or before they take a bite from their sandwich. You can take a brief moment here to thank God for blessing you with the food presented before you and assure Him that you know that His Will always comes first before any material thing.
· Good Night!: This is the best time to pray even if it’s when people are the most tired because the night atmosphere evokes a particular mood that people pray more sincerely. You can spend a few short minutes before you retire for the night to reflect upon how God has been by you throughout the day and give Him thanks, also asking Him for a peaceful sleep that will give you strength to reveal more of His glory the next.
For those who are interested in developing their praying skills on a higher level but need a place to start, here are some suggestions:
· 5 minutes: There is actually no exact time duration that determines a good prayer. If you pray you pray with a humble and sincerely seeking heart, a 5-minute prayer each day could be all that it takes given your situation. Concentration is the key to put God as the focus and subject during your prayer.
· After praying 5 minutes a day for a week, try adding 5 more minutes a day, and so on.
· Make a date!: A lot of us have so many obligations to keep that it’s hard to find a right time IN our schedule to pray but the key is making praying a PART of our schedule. Peruse over your schedule for the day or the week and find an opening where you can establish a set time to pray to God and keep it! Don’t make false oaths to the Lord but meet Him promptly at the time you promised.
· More is better: If you need a little extra motivation to pray, then ask a friend or two to join you in forming a prayer group. Then, during your prayer meetings set a specified number of times a week or month, bring prayer requests and pray for each other.
Praying often can help us to tune into God’s guidance so that we can more closely follow the great plan He has for us. There are only 24 hours in a day but just as the proverb goes, “There’s always room for ice cream,” so there’s always time for God.
