It’s Always Something, Isn’t It?
The day starts with the best of intentions. You tell yourself in the most convincing manner possible that today is the day. You will absolutely find the time. You will have the most amazing prayer time ever.
Then its off to the races.
Your feet hit the floor running.
There’s no looking back.
The day ends.
You have no idea why you failed.
Maybe you did put on the breaks, briefly.
You sat quietly.
Took several deep breathes.
30 seconds later you were either snoozing or task list checking.
What happened?
One word…distractions.
They are Satan’s answer to keeping us from God!
“How can I keep from being distracted?” is not a new question but many of the distractions today are new.
There are really only two types of distractions. When we figure out what works to control them, prayer can and will become a beautiful part of our relationship with God. First we will look at environmental distractions and then internal thoughts distractions.
It’s not headline news that we all have a lot of activities in our lives. Family, work, home, friends, church, volunteering, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the list goes on and on. Although we do have commitments in many of these areas, the key is putting the commitment to God at the top of that list. Three specific steps will work to minimize the distractions around us for a productive prayer time:
Turn OFF all the screens:
This means actually turning them off and tuning them out. Yours and anyone near you. There is nothing that you can possibly be missing during your prayer time that’s more important then God.
Schedule a specific time and location:
Knowing when and where prayer time will be spent makes it a priority. Something come up? Just like any other important appointment reschedule.
Be intentional everyday:
Top priority tasks get done. Enough said!
These steps are half the challenge. Internal distractions are the next obstacle.
According to an article in Phycology Today about distractions in our mind, “It’s not negotiable: there’s no way not to be distracted by distractions.”
That’s encouraging!
The good news is it was reported in The Telegraph that a 2016 study concluded, “Intelligent people may find it difficult to focus the mind because of all the amazing ideas constantly running through their genius brains.”
That explains everything, right?
Bottom line is that everyone battles distractions. There are things we can do to control our thoughts and bring our focus to God. Each of us is unique. We each need to try various methods to find what works for us. Trying one or more of these suggested approaches may get you to that amazing prayer time.
Have a plan:
Consider using the ACTS approach – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. You can read more on this approach at billygraham.org/answer/how-does-one-pray-ive-never-been-taught-how-to-say-a-personal-prayer-or-really-talk-to-god/
Force focus:
Either write out your prayer or say your prayer out loud. These approaches force your mind to stay on task.
Prepare your mind:
Try listening to or singing a favorite worship song, reading a prayer from book of Psalm, or reciting a prayer such as The Serenity Prayer.
Group prayer:
Consider soliciting others to pray with you. Share requests and take turns praying out loud.
These are just a few ideas. Try these and others. Most importantly don’t give up until you have found your prayer sweet spot.
Be committed, be intentional, and prayer will be amazing.