Building A Habit Of Daily Prayer

-

Many of us have trouble establishing a consistent prayer life. We know it's important, but between work deadlines, family commitments, kids events, etc.  Well, finding time can be a challenge.

The picture we often form in our mind of an effective prayer routine is spending an uninterrupted hour of time dedicated to that early in the morning. That's my routine--but I'm a pastor.  Before I was a pastor I had the same challenges as everyone else finding that time consistently.  

Here's a few things I did to build a daily prayer habit into my busy life:

1. I Anchored Prayer My Existing Routine

Instead of trying to create a brand-new chunk of time out of thin air, I added prayer and Bible reading to things I was already doing.

  • Morning Coffee: I've always started my day off with a few quiet moments and a cup of coffee.  It wasn't very hard to open my Bible and read during that time.  I enjoyed that time so much I actually started getting up a little earlier in the morning so I had a bit more time to spend in the Bible and praying.

  • The Daily Commute: I did this for years!  Turn off the radio and talk to God during the drive into work.

  • Doing Chores: Use daily tasks as moments of gratitude and reflection.  I've done a lot of thinking and reflecting and praying while I'm mowing.  I'd say half my sermon ideas come from the time I spend mowing grass in the summer.  

2. Start Small and Be Consistent

Two minutes of genuine, focused prayer every day will transform your heart far more than an hour-long prayer session that's hit and miss. Don't worry about grand vocabulary or long petitions. God cares about your heart, not the length of your words. Start simple.  

3. Keep a Written Prayer List

This is so important. Keep a list and add to it every time a prayer need comes up.  Review it regularly and update those prayer requests.  It not only helps you focus on your prayers, but you'll also see God's hand at work through that list.  One of the main reasons we get distracted during prayer is that our minds naturally wander to our to-do list. Writing keeps your mind focused and gives you a tangible record of God’s faithfulness over time.

4. Practice "Microprayers" Throughout the Day

This is a great practice, too.  Prayer doesn't always have to be formal. Little one-sentence prayers spoken silently can be so powerful!  And they keep us connected to God throughout a busy workday:

  • "Lord, give me patience in this moment."

  • "Thank you for Your grace today."

  • "Guide my words in this meeting."

A Final Thought

Prayer shouldn't be a "to-do" on your list.  It should be a task or a job.  Prayer is an invitation to a relationship. God isn't standing by with a stopwatch timing your prayers—He is simply waiting to welcome you into His presence. Start small today, be gentle with yourself, and remember that every moment spent in conversation with God is valuable.

~Pastor Todd Creason

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is It All About You?

-
Image
If corgis could read, I'd have Emma read Mark 10: 32-45 because she always thinks somebody should be serving her night and day! I lead a weekly Bible study at a local coffee shop on Wednesdays, and this week we were looking at Mark 10: 32-45.   This morning, w e had a really remarkable conversation about our tendency to put ourselves first.   In these verses, we find Jesus walking with his disciples toward Jerusalem, and two of his closest friends, James and John, come to him with what might be the boldest request in history. They say, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." Then they drop the bomb, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."   Can you imagine that? These guys wanted the VIP seats in Jesus' kingdom! They wanted to be his right-hand men, the ones with the most power and prestige. It's like walking up to your boss and saying, "Hey, when you get that promotion, can we be your vice presid...
Read more

New Book Fall 2026: No Ordinary Days

-
Image
I write a lot of stuff down . . . this is just the last ten years.   My dad told me when I was in high school to enjoy life while I was young, because life had a way of becoming very ordinary after you grow up. That stuck with me, because it didn’t sound at all appealing. I decided right then and there I wasn’t going to have an ordinary life.   In fact, I decided I wasn’t ever going to have an ordinary day.   And I started something way back then that I still do today. I’ve been keeping a journal since I was in high school, and after dad told me that, I started writing in those journals, every day, at least one thing that was unique about that day at the top of the page—one thing that made that day like no other day previously.   I’ve done this now for more than four decades, and that habit has changed the way I’ve viewed life.   I go into each day looking for that one remarkable thing.   Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s a bad thing, but I’ve...
Read more

Take A Break! It's Snowmageddon!

-
Image
Emma defending her "snow fort" long after her brother Scooter loses interest in occupying it.   You know it's coming. The weather app has been refreshed approximately 47 times in the last hour. The meteorologist on TV is using words like "significant accumulation" and "travel not advised," which in snow-speak means "here it comes!" And suddenly, everyone in town has the same brilliant idea: I better go to the grocery store. Right now. As if we're preparing to survive on French toast for the next three weeks.   The grocery store looks like a Black Friday sale. Grown adults are speed-walking toward the dairy aisle. Someone's cart has five gallons of milk. Five!  We are terrible at stopping. Absolutely terrible. Even when we know rest is coming, we resist. We try to cram 47 tasks into the final hours before the universe forces us to sit down. It's almost like we're afraid of what might happen if we actually had to be still for ...
Read more