". . ., but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. Romans 8:26

I invite you to explore and reflect on the ways that we become more aware of how we can interact with God. I will discuss ways that we can become more sensitive and aware of God's presence in our daily life.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Increasing Time for Prayer

Once I had settled on a better place to pray, I discovered that it was difficult to increase my time of prayer. My goal was to spend 30 minutes in prayer each day.

This goal was quickly frustrated. I was trying to pray for 30 minutes once a day. I found that my mind sometimes wondered,

Who could that be on the phone?
Did I hear someone at the door?
Who was I going to see today?

I would look at my watch and realize that I could not remember what I had last prayed about. Thirty minutes of prayer time seemed to be an unreasonable goal.

I decided to pray for a shorter period of time, but at multiple times a day. I would try 5 minutes of prayer at 6 different times a day. I used a small notebook to write down the 6 times. When some of these times did not work--I tore out the page and wrote a new schedule. Eventually, I began to keep this schedule in my daily work calendar.

I also chose specific themes for each prayer time: Family, Work, Thanksgiving, Personal Concerns, Members of My Congregations, and Community Concerns. You may choose your own themes. I change mine about once a month.

This type of schedule can make each time of prayer fresh and unique. I also use my small notebook to jot down people and concerns for each theme. This also serves to remind me about my prayer concerns and helps me to focus in each area.

You will need to develop your own personal pattern. Three times a day for 10 minutes may work best for you. You may need to try several patterns to find which one suits you. My notebook is a small spiral that can fit in a shirt pocket or in the car drink holder. When a schedule does not work, you just tear it out and try another one. This helps keep your focus on the current pattern and not on the ones that did not work.

I welcome your comments. WordsandSighs@gmail.com

Talk to God today.

Pastor Michael

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