The struggle of taking time for prayer

zoidar

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!
 

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!

i found that involving The Lord in everything i do helps enormously praying without ceasing. Far to often believers make certain times in which they will commune with God, but it is much better not to do that and to simply share out lives with Him, in both good and bad, as we go through it.

Peace.
 
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zippy2006

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!

Praying first thing in the morning is usually the best way to do it when you're busy. Your mind won't be cluttered up with all of the events and obligations of the day, and as long as you get up on time you will always have time to pray.

That said, prayerfully reflecting on the day before you nod off to sleep is also helpful. For an example you might look up St. Ignatius of Loyola's "Examen" prayer.
 
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sandman

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!

Prayer before bed is great, but I would suggest that you do not try to pray in bed … Beds are great for a couple of things ….but prayer is not one of them. For me …sitting in a chair is ideal.

I talk with God throughout the day ….but in the AM and before bed, I found that sitting in a chair at the prescribed times I have set aside work the best.

And as the old saying goes …”you only have time what you make time for”
 
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bèlla

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The Daily Prayer app was helpful in reestablishing my rhythm. I try to do it most days if I can unless I have a lot of intercession. I started with that and added on more as the Lord led me or circumstances required it.

I pray in bed and can go for hours. When I pray before retiring my head's on the pillow. It doesn't have to be lengthy. You want to get in the habit of talking to Him. It's a relationship. Tell Him what's on your mind, what you're going through, etc. The Holy Spirit is talking constantly. We don't realize it.

I pray out loud and converse with Him the same way. He has a wonderful sense of humor! Do both. Pray in the morning and talk at night. See how you feel. :)

~bella
 
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TzephanYahu

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Hi @zoidar
What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life?

You're right in what you say. Prayer is very important.

I struggled to do it regularly as well for a while as this world and life are so easily distracting. So I set up a habit by following the examples in the Bible...

It seems that in the OT and NT, people prayed at least three times a day. First in the morning, then at midday, then in afternoon/evening (after 3pm). This was based on the times of daily sacrifices at the Temple and the divisions of the day.

I made this habit but setting myself alarms on my phone or with timed push notifications from a Bible app with a daily scripture. This helped a lot to remind me and I would excuse myself from whatever I was doing and make it point to pray.

But what to pray and how?

This is what I have found to work for me, inspired by Psalm 92:1-2 and to give me some structure do my prayer wasn't aimless. ..

Morning prayer - praises to Yahweh
Midday prayer - petitions/requests for others or me
Afternoon prayer - thanksgiving to Yahweh & Messiah

This regular and relatively loose structure should give you a comfortable prayer life. But at first you'll need to make it a habit so don't expect it to fit smoothly into your day even after 2 weeks. Stick with it and soon it will just be part of your day.

That's what worked for me anyway.

May Yahweh inspire you by His Spirit to turn to Him in prayer more often.

Peace
 
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tturt

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Zoidar I understand what you're saying. This is what I've found.

Pray without ceasing (I Thess 5:17).is keeping our minds on the Lord. As TzephYahn posted, it' includes praising and thanksgiving.

First "God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: ..." Psa 63:1 'This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.' Psa 118:24

Throughout the day, there's lots of opportunities to keep our minds on Him.

Finishing "When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches." Psa 63:6

Also, found eliminate some TV for "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;..." Matt 6:6 -- means dedicated time.
 
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zoidar

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One thing I have found is a good routine is to pray before bed for the people you have met during the day, colleagues, friends, enemies ...

I think I will focus on two times a day to pray, in the morning before I do anything else and before I go to bed. I think these two times are the best for me, as I want a routine I can keep.

Some of you mentioned to focus on different topics different times of prayer. That sounds like a good idea.

Thank you for support!
 
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MikeinSeattle

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!

Pray for someone to give you 2 dollars out of the blue every morning till it happens.
Then pray for someone to give you 22 dollars randomly again.
After that happens pray for 67 dollars till it happens.
Then 167 till it happens.

The random numbers make it so that whenever it happens there is no way you can say it wasnt the answer to your prayer.

Very quickly once you start receiving the answers you will gain massive desire to pray more, learn to pray better and pray about more things.

This is how George Muller started praying.

But dont tell anyone in church about it or they will kick you out for being a money loving heathen ;)
 
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Ask for the holy spirit to teach and lead you, so you may become more active in the spirit, as you carry out your daily activities. So in other words, you can surf the web and still pray, you can have breakfast and coffee, and at the same time dine in the spirit, you can even do all your house chores, whilst you're connected in the spirit.
 
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aiki

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!

The more I make prayer a religious ritual, the more I think of it as a formal, spiritual practice, the less often I find myself talking with God. But when I think of prayer as just speaking with God, I find myself turning to Him all throughout the day, as I do with, say, my wife, and chatting with Him, not foolishly or carelessly, but easily, just as I do with my spouse. The Spirit, Scripture says, "brings to remembrance" God's word (John 14:26; John 16:13), and in this way God replies to my prayers (if a reply is warranted). I am, then, in an attitude of prayer all the time, inviting God to stand at the center of my living at all times (where He ought to be).

More and more, my prayer to God during the day is one of surrender. I submit myself to Him all throughout each day (as I remember to do so) when I'm eating, or working, or sitting in traffic, or washing the dishes, or whatever (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:6; Micah 6:8). There is no part of my life so mundane that I keep it separate from God's control. And as I submit to Him, I see Him acting in my life more obviously than ever before. He does in my life the things He promises in His word to do - convict, illuminate, strengthen, comfort, transform - in response to my submission. God loves me and desires my love (1 John 4:7-19; Matthew 22:36-38), which means He deals with me without coercion, waiting on my yielding to His will and way (Romans 6:13; Romans 12:1) before He transforms my life. As His work in me, and through me, is evident, I find myself more eager to pray, more excited in my walk with Him, my reflex becoming increasingly to turn to Him in everything.
 
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SkyWriting

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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.God bless!

Pray for God to work His will in your life. Not any of that other stuff.
Praying sporadically is ideal. Keep that up. The more sporadic the better.
 
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I struggle a bit with taking time for prayer. At the moment my prayer life is very sporadic. I pray when things happen, and when I have told people I'll pray for them. I pray every night in bed when I have turned off the lights, but I'm asleep in minutes. I feel prayer is the most important thing for a Christian (as well as Bible reading). When I go up I begin with breakfast and coffee, and after that I'm stuck on the web until I'm off for work. What advice would you give me to get a better prayer life? I think it has to be easy to follow or I won't continue.

God bless!
Beloved one, didn’t you consider you need the strength to pray morning and night?
I believe you have heard this:

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. -Philippians 4:13

can prayers be considered one of all things that Christ can strengthen you ? If Christ can strengthen you in prayers — why you have not seek His strength? Why all this time you considered only your strength?

So seek the Lord’s strength, His strength will enable to you to pray night and day.

To God be glory and thanksgiving through Christ Jesus. Amen.
 
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