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By: Amanda Frittz
Today we’re going to talk about some opportune ways you can be consistent in prayer even if your schedule seems like it has NO room!
Prayer is something that honestly has never come naturally to me. I grew up in a house where we did bedtime prayers, but praying throughout the day was never encouraged or modeled. So, I grew up thinking a simple prayer to make me feel safe at night was enough to maintain my relationship with God.
Well, it wasn’t. God wants more from us then to use him as a safety blanket when we got to sleep. I’m sure he likes that too, as we should find our strength in him, but that alone is not a rich relationship.
Getting into the habit of praying more than just a minute at night has admittedly been hard for me! It’s hard to retrain your brain, and it can sometimes feel awkward to talk to someone you can’t see. Even more so, it’s hard to prioritize a relationship that can seem so distant at times.
I have grown in this area throughout the past year and the more you pray, the less awkward, inconvenient, and distant it feels.
Pray in the Moment to be More Consistent in Prayer
I can’t be the only person who has seen or heard a prayer request and intended to pray about it later but ended up forgetting about it by the end of the day.
Ugh! I always feel so terrible. I swear my intentions are pure, but then I just get over-consumed with my day and forget. That’s why I’ve started challenging myself to pray at the exact moment I hear a prayer request. That way, I ensure I won’t forget – and I’m more likely to remember to pray about it throughout the week.
Challenge yourself to pray as soon as you hear or see a prayer request. Even if you’re scrolling through social media, hold yourself accountable and take a minute to pray. If you’re with friends and they tell you something they need prayer for that week, pray for them on the spot.
Pray During Car Rides
Car rides are a great empty time slot that you can fill with all sorts of good things! I love to use my car trips to listen to worship music, podcasts, or to pray.
If you’re struggling to find time to pray throughout the day I highly recommend taking advantage of the empty time you spend in your car. When you’re driving you can’t be doing any other errands or things on your to-do list. That’s why I find it a great distraction-free time to pray!
Add Prayer to Your Morning and Night Routine
Sometimes you just need to schedule out time for God. If you don’t it’s going to be that much harder to fit it in.
I find the most relaxed time to schedule prayer in my day is first thing in the morning or before I go to bed. If I try and wait until the middle of the day, I often get overwhelmed with all the other tasks I have to do, and I will put it off.
However, if you have kids nap time could be another opportune time for you. Whatever the time is, make sure to schedule out a section of your day to pray. Even if you start with just five minutes.
Take Advantage of Chore-Time to be Consistent in Prayer
I like to think of chore time as another empty slate of time that you can be multitasking. Just like car rides, this is an excellent time to fill your mind with God’s word or pray.
There’s so much time in our day where we CAN multitask. Chores are mindless activities that typically don’t take much of our focus to accomplish. It’s almost all muscle memory.
You can take advantage of this by praying, listening to worship music, or listening to an audio Bible.
Don’t Rush Meal Time Prayers
I know you’re hungry – me too. However, you’re already praying you might as well linger for a bit and be thoughtful. After all, a thoughtful prayer means a lot more than a prayer that is simply done by expectation.
Dinner is a great time to check in on family and see if they have any prayer requests. You can all pray together, and thank God.
Having meaningful prayers before dinner does a lot in teaching yourself and if you have kids, your kid’s patience! Seriously. I’ve caught myself in the past rolling my eyes at the fact my husband wouldn’t stop rambling. I was ready to dig in!
That’s not who I want to be though. I want to treasure the Lord and my time with him. Looking back, I’m proud that my husband had his priorities in order even if it meant having smell a delicious aroma for a few minutes before devouring it.