This last week we talked about prayer in worship. It got me thinking about my prayer time. I’m good at praying at mealtimes, with my family, and at night before my kids go to bed. But other than that, I don’t have regular, defined prayer time. I have tried. Several years ago, I thought I would set up a regular sit down with just God and myself, nothing to distract me. I work at the church, so I decided to visit the sanctuary and just pray. This sounds like a peaceful time apart to focus all my attention… It didn’t work. There’re always things to do or someone to see and talk with when I’m at church. It was so hard to focus on God and not my to-do list. Then, I thought I would get up early and go on my back porch and read a devotion and pray. This didn’t work either because I like to sleep too much. But I do pray a lot without designated time.

Because I didn’t have a designated prayer time, I felt like I was missing out on something. Sometimes I even felt like I wasn’t a good enough Christian. Then, I was reading the Bible and came upon 1Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without stopping.” And I thought, maybe that’s it! It’s not about one time for me, but ALL the time!

I found that my time with God can be anytime, even when I’m doing something mundane. I guess I’m someone that needs a fidget spinner to focus.  I can pray anytime, and maybe that’s the best approach. My time with God is when I’m brushing my teeth. My time with God is when I’m in the car by myself. My time with God is washing dishes.

This is valuable time that I cherish. It’s time when I can express my feelings and thoughts with my God who loves me. This time is my time with my best friend that wants only the best for me. I get to talk and be listened to on a deeply personal level, anytime, all the time.

Doing these routine acts while praying brought a new light to everyday activities. It lets God be involved in all my tasks and time. Cleaning the house becomes covering my home with God’s protection. Making dinner becomes thanking God for the blessings of nourishment provided for us daily. Inviting God into my daily tasks, makes my life a living prayer. I hope that this is pleasing to God.

Here are some questions for you to ponder this week; What does your prayer life look like? Does your prayer life work better when you’re alone in a room and only focused on prayer, do you pray when you wake up and/or go to sleep?

“Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” - Mother Teresa

‍