Simple Ways to Pray

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Simple Ways to Pray
Written by Jewly Hight

In the book How to Listen to God, Charles Stanley writes, "Nothing is
more urgent, nothing is more necessary, nothing more rewarding than
hearing what God has to say." The key is finding the pause button in
our noisy lives so we can focus on those words from God.


Though 1 Thessalonians 5:17 exhorts us to pray without ceasing, life's
pace exhorts us to cease praying and focus on everything else. How do
we turn our minds to God, who longs to draw us to Him? First we have
to be intentional about it. Here are a few simple ways you can pray
throughout the day:

1. Get alone. "Through spiritual discipline," Henry Nouwen wrote, "we
prevent the world from filling our lives to such an extent that there
is no place left to listen." Finding solitude is one discipline that
allows us to listen for God's voice. Jesus "often withdrew to deserted
places and prayed" (Luke 5:16). If Christ, who "was God" and "was with
God" (John 1:1) needed time alone to connect with the Father, you can
be sure that we do too.

If your home is a beehive of activity, snag quiet moments by waking up
earlier or staying up later than everyone else. Use alone time in the
car or shower to turn your thoughts to Him. Create silence by turning
off your radio, television, and cell phone.

2. Embrace simple prayer. When our minds are full of earthly details,
sometimes less is more. When you just don't have the words for a
lengthy prayer, embrace simplicity. Try praying the Lord's Prayer
(Luke 11:2-4), or pray the words of a Scripture verse that's central
to your situation. Worried? Focus on Jesus' words from John 14:27 —
"Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you" — and pray, "Jesus, I
receive Your peace" until the truth of it sinks in.

3. Use the news. The Psalms speak of God's heart for broken people.
Psalm 140:12 says, "I know that the Lord upholds the just cause of the
poor, justice for the needy." Read the newspaper or watch the news to
see which situations might tug at God's heart, and pray for the people
who are involved.

4. Skip a meal. Deuteronomy 8:3 says that "man does not live on bread
alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Why
not forgo lunch one day, and find a quiet place to pray and feed on
God's Word instead? Fasting helps us confess our desperate dependence
on God.

5. Do chores. Brother Lawrence is famed for practicing the presence of
God, learned while cleaning pots and pans for a monastery in the
1600s. He trained his mind on God while going about his kitchen
chores, addressing all his thoughts to God, doing work to please Him.
Eventually, he found it's possible to "think often on God, by day, and
by night, in your business, and even in your diversions." Practice
keeping your thoughts on things above as you clean and do yard work
below.

6. Get visual. Focus on God's presence by placing visual reminders in
your home, office, or car. Write a concern, praise, an attribute of
God, or the name of someone who needs prayer on a sticky note; then
put it on your fridge, dashboard, computer, or bathroom mirror to
trigger your thoughts to seek Him.

7. Open your address book. "When I sit down to pray, I can get
distracted by other things I feel like I should be doing, like calling
to check in on people and sending e-mails," says Kim Thomas, author of
Simplicity and Even God Rested. "I've got to learn to turn those into
quotidian offerings. They're an everyday part of my life, and they
should become a part of my prayers."

When people come to mind while you're praying, intercede for them. Or
open your address book and pray for those people you haven't seen or
spoken to in a while.

8. Carry a journal. Find a small journal you can take with you. When
you find yourself waiting — in the pickup line at your child's school,
at the doctor's office, or while waiting for a delayed flight — pull
out the journal, and write your prayers to God. Make them
conversational, and record what you hear God saying to you.

9. Turn frustrations into prayer. Unexpected events will inevitably
challenge your resolve to keep an attitude of prayer. Voice your
frustrations to God rather than harboring anger or calling someone to
complain. By turning to prayer, you'll gain God's perspective on
things and be reminded of what's important.

"When things don't go according to plan, I get exasperated, but the
Holy Spirit lets me know that there are divine delays that don't look
like they're divine," says Leza Krzywicki, a wife and working mom
living in Titusville, Fla. "I can surrender my day back to God and ask
Him to orchestrate it."

Jewly Hight is a writer and musician living in Nashville, Tenn., with
her husband, Bob. Together, they're looking for ways to simplify and
pray throughout their days.