Do your thoughts ever interrupt your prayer?
Am I the only one?
I know 'prayer is the acid test of devotion.'
I know I find solitude and want to pray even for hours when possible, but the flow of prayer is so constantly interrupted from within.
My 'extraneous' thoughts pursue me when I pursue prayer.
Surely if I was speaking to the president I would maintain complete focus, why not then to God?
I know 'prayer is the acid test of devotion.'
I know I find solitude and want to pray even for hours when possible, but the flow of prayer is so constantly interrupted from within.
My 'extraneous' thoughts pursue me when I pursue prayer.
Surely if I was speaking to the president I would maintain complete focus, why not then to God?
(The above is a short post I placed on LinkedIn recently - below are some of the inspiring answers.)
The Strategy of Prayer
David Brainerd was basically a Christian who killed himself through neglect of his own body's needs in order to "buffet his body" into submission and devotion to prayer. His is an awesome testimony, but I think he missed the mark in terms of being constant in prayer.
A suggestion is to begin by starting with a season of praise. That is truly one of the strongest weapons against the enemies of our soul. Remember when the Lord taught his disciples how to pray, He started with praise, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."
Be ready to mix it up. Have your Bible ready should the Lord prompt you to read a passage. Even pause in your prayer to read. Remember, too, that prayer should be a time for two-way communication; it is not just a time to give your list to Him.
The Time of Prayer
Discern if a different time might be a better time for you to be more focused. The solution may be that simple.
Many years ago now, I began to practice assuming that, whereever I was, what-ever I was doing, the presence of Jesus was there with me and He wanted good conversation - small talk as well as important stuff - like any other close friend.
So, I began to just talk with Him - little things - the beauty of a tree or a sunrise or sunset or flower, the terrible traffic congestion as we drove to work or an eye-catching car as it drove by.
I would ask for a parking place to be open right where I needed it - and remember to say, 'Thankyou' when it 'just happened' to be there. Notice I didn't ask for one where I 'wanted it', but where He knew I needed it at that moment in time. It's surprising how many times I discover just why He chose the place He did.
I was led to this line of thinking when travelling extensively during working years. I would open my suitcase and just where I would least expect it I would discover a note from my wife saying, 'I love you' , and then, another in a different place, etc. I then thought of how many 'I love you' notes from God I had overlooked all my life and decided to begin actually looking for them - and thanking Him when I saw them. Do you know - I actually began to see so many more of them after that!
What I've discovered over the years is that I am less often drawn to 'formal' prayers - except in times of community worship - and these often seem so cold and unnatural to me. Instead, it's so comforting to just practice noticing Him there with me and being able to talk to Him - just any place - any time.
I was led to this line of thinking when travelling extensively during working years. I would open my suitcase and just where I would least expect it I would discover a note from my wife saying, 'I love you' , and then, another in a different place, etc. I then thought of how many 'I love you' notes from God I had overlooked all my life and decided to begin actually looking for them - and thanking Him when I saw them. Do you know - I actually began to see so many more of them after that!
What I've discovered over the years is that I am less often drawn to 'formal' prayers - except in times of community worship - and these often seem so cold and unnatural to me. Instead, it's so comforting to just practice noticing Him there with me and being able to talk to Him - just any place - any time.
When I wake in the wee hours of the morning, I lay in bed and talk to Jesus about the day. So many things - just talking silently to Him there in the room. As I fall off to sleep in the night, I again remember to just talk with Him about the day.
We are living a life in union with Christ. He is always with us and in us. What you are sharing is a 'prayer life' with the Father through Christ in us. Just conversations, here or there, whenever there is an open break or we wake up early are extremely significant.
Prayer that comes from our 'heart' rather than our 'head' often can’t be in fixed and planned sessions of prayer. Out of the 'heart' flow the issues of life. He can do so much more out of the love fellowship that we have spontaneously with Him for a few minutes, here and there, than the focused and planned even long times spent in prayer.
The Spirit of Prayer
I heard a famous preacher who said he would fall asleep reading his Bible so he stood on the edge of the tub.
Peter, James, and John fell asleep when Jesus needed them most. Jesus said their Spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. Pray in the Holy Spirit.
If there was one thing that changed my prayer life the most, it was to get over the deep and often guilt-inducing expectations that had stuck onto me through the years.
I heard a pastor ask his congregation once - "everybody who prays enough raise your hand" - and of course nobody raised their hands. He went on to talk about how the nature of question was to condemn. He was using it to make a point about how easy we can be shamed by people or the enemy or even ourselves.
You say "My 'extraneous' thoughts pursue me when I pursue prayer. Who can guide [me to] a prayer time that is uninterrupted by me?" But the question is set up to assume to presume that YOU are an interruption.
We tell married couples all the time that every relationship is built upon communication. At a certain level, prayer is simply that - communicating with God. The "You" that is living in this challenging broken world is not an interruption to prayer, you are the REASON for prayer. Jesus calls us His beloved and all He wants is you, all of you: distracted, confused, sometimes strong, sometimes shattered. The most sincere, authentic, transparent you is the one He died to love.
You say "My 'extraneous' thoughts pursue me when I pursue prayer. Who can guide [me to] a prayer time that is uninterrupted by me?" But the question is set up to assume to presume that YOU are an interruption.
We tell married couples all the time that every relationship is built upon communication. At a certain level, prayer is simply that - communicating with God. The "You" that is living in this challenging broken world is not an interruption to prayer, you are the REASON for prayer. Jesus calls us His beloved and all He wants is you, all of you: distracted, confused, sometimes strong, sometimes shattered. The most sincere, authentic, transparent you is the one He died to love.
A deep and sincere thanks to Charley, Vaughn, Dwight, Lisa, Chris and Chris (and my other LinkedIn friends) for their collective grace, wisdom and Christian walk that is now distilled into this article.