I've been asking myself lately: How long does a prayer last? When does it expire, and when it is therefore time to pray again?
One of my favorite times of the day is in the early morning before the sun wakes up when I can sit with my morning coffee, my book of daily devotionals, and God. I use this time to pray and connect with Him, focusing on life's most important matters at the time. Most days, I drive almost 40 miles to work. Every morning on my way to work I turn off the radio and say a prayer. This is a time when I can really connect and focus -- very little traffic on my drive, with only the sunrise and some mountains to look at. It is so peaceful. When times are particularly troubling, I value this time even more.
If for some reason I ever skip this morning prayer, I feel off-balance for the rest of the day. So, I make it a point to never skip it. Usually, I feel totally at peace afterwards, despite anything troublesome that I prayed about. And the more troublesome my situation is, the harder I pray and the more I connect with God, and the better I feel afterward.
By the end of my day, I find myself already worrying and anxious again about whatever it was I prayed about that morning. Then I start worrying that maybe I didn't pray hard enough, long enough, seriously enough, etc. the first time. I begin to wonder if my morning prayer is wearing off and a new (similar or even identical) prayer is needed. But how could I be so uneasy about something that brought me so much peace less than 12 hours earlier? Why does my peace begin to wear off?
And so, I pray again. But, I will admit, it's difficult, especially after a long day, to stay as focused in prayer. Sometimes if it's really later at night, I'll get so deep into my prayer that I'll nearly fall asleep.
So, when does a prayer expire? Even if I begin to feel the peace wearing off, is my first prayer still heard? I know the answer to this is yes. The "wearing off" doesn't invalidate any prayers I've already said. But does anyone else wonder the same thing?
What's more important-- quality or quantity? Does a quick prayer under my breath in the midst of a stressful situation at work have the same effect as a long, focused prayer alone in my car or with my morning coffee? If ever I only take the time for the small under-my-breath prayers, I begin to feel guilty that I'm losing focus. Usually the long focused prayer in the morning covers me for the whole day, but not always.
How do you know when it's time to pray again? For me, I think I know I need to pray as soon as I begin to feel worried or anxious. But does the short prayer really cut it?
One of my favorite times of the day is in the early morning before the sun wakes up when I can sit with my morning coffee, my book of daily devotionals, and God. I use this time to pray and connect with Him, focusing on life's most important matters at the time. Most days, I drive almost 40 miles to work. Every morning on my way to work I turn off the radio and say a prayer. This is a time when I can really connect and focus -- very little traffic on my drive, with only the sunrise and some mountains to look at. It is so peaceful. When times are particularly troubling, I value this time even more.
If for some reason I ever skip this morning prayer, I feel off-balance for the rest of the day. So, I make it a point to never skip it. Usually, I feel totally at peace afterwards, despite anything troublesome that I prayed about. And the more troublesome my situation is, the harder I pray and the more I connect with God, and the better I feel afterward.
By the end of my day, I find myself already worrying and anxious again about whatever it was I prayed about that morning. Then I start worrying that maybe I didn't pray hard enough, long enough, seriously enough, etc. the first time. I begin to wonder if my morning prayer is wearing off and a new (similar or even identical) prayer is needed. But how could I be so uneasy about something that brought me so much peace less than 12 hours earlier? Why does my peace begin to wear off?
And so, I pray again. But, I will admit, it's difficult, especially after a long day, to stay as focused in prayer. Sometimes if it's really later at night, I'll get so deep into my prayer that I'll nearly fall asleep.
So, when does a prayer expire? Even if I begin to feel the peace wearing off, is my first prayer still heard? I know the answer to this is yes. The "wearing off" doesn't invalidate any prayers I've already said. But does anyone else wonder the same thing?
What's more important-- quality or quantity? Does a quick prayer under my breath in the midst of a stressful situation at work have the same effect as a long, focused prayer alone in my car or with my morning coffee? If ever I only take the time for the small under-my-breath prayers, I begin to feel guilty that I'm losing focus. Usually the long focused prayer in the morning covers me for the whole day, but not always.
How do you know when it's time to pray again? For me, I think I know I need to pray as soon as I begin to feel worried or anxious. But does the short prayer really cut it?
