7 Ways to Find Time to Pray Daily
It’s not always easy to find the time to pray daily. We have a lot of busy days and obligations that take up our extra moments. But if we want to be more connected with God and grow in faith, it is important for us to take some time each day for prayer. If you’re looking for a few ideas on how you can fit in prayer during your day, here are some suggestions: In the morning when you wake up, before bed at night, or anytime in between!
What does prayer mean to you and why is it important to you?
Prayer means you are stopping what you are doing and asking, thanking, or talking to God about something. This prayer can be done in silence (mind), out loud (publicly), or song. A prayer can be a formal, structured one you’ve done all your life or it can be random, something you are just asking/pleading to God about. You might be thanking him for a family get-together that went off without arguments, or finding a parking spot in the front of the store just as the rain poured down.
Prayer is important because you are growing closer to God. Look at this time as a gathering, very much like when you go to hang out with a friend over coffee. The more you hang out, the closer the two of you become. You can pray to God about anything, it doesn’t just have to be because you need a favor or an answer.
Making prayer a top priority
One way to make time to pray daily is to schedule out your day and find the moments in your day that you have blocks of time not used up. Set a time for prayer – This was my first step to finding the time to pray daily I had to set a specific time in the day to do it. If you’re like most people, your day can get pretty hectic, no matter what season you are in! So here’s a tip: take a few minutes each morning before doing anything else to pray and ask God for His guidance. It’ll help set the tone for the rest of the day – plus it’ll be easier to remember other important commitments if you’ve already talked with God about them!
As a mom, we are always on the go. One of my favorite things to do is pray and read scripture with my kids in the car or waiting for an appointment. Psst, this helps me just as much as it helps them but I’m not telling them that. I also like to keep these on the table by our couch so they are easily accessible when we need them. Tip: Write the verses/prayers out on an index card. Put a hole punch through and carry them around on a keyring.
Try waking up at 5 instead of 530am. You know that 30 minutes could be so worth it! Your alarm goes off and ya hop outta bed because you’re excited to start the day with God. You read a bit in the bible, talk to God and just pray about your day to come. Your drive into work or dropping kids off could be spent praying for those passing you on the road or listening to the bible. I like to tune into Klove and sing worship music while talking with God.
One trick for remembering to make time to pray is setting up automatic reminders. There are many ways and times that you can do this. Once the habit has been established, it’s easy to continue and even add others throughout the day. For example, I like to set up a reminder on my phone every morning before I wake the kids up: “7:00 AM – Prayer Time!” This reminds me just before I put the kids on the bus that I need to pray over their busy days. Another way is by tying your prayer time into another task or activity; maybe tie it in with your chores (or whatever else) so that reciting an evening prayer becomes part of one’s daily routine. Once the habit has been established, it’s easy to continue and even add others throughout the day.
Turn Your Prayer Life into a Habit
The first thing you should do is make time to pray a daily habit. This means you make time for prayer and everything else can wait. Start off small – try praying just five minutes each day in the morning or evening – as this leaves room for a quick run-down of prayers at other times throughout the day if needed. You’ll be surprised how much more focused and calm everything feels when you’ve given some space to all things spiritual.
What prayer looks like for you is up to you. Some people choose a position to pray, some choose words or timed prayers and others don’t really notice when they are praying. Laying in bed before you start your day, walking around with great purpose while cleaning the dishes, or brushing your teeth…you can even sit in the car. Prayer isn’t limited to sitting cross-legged on a mat or sitting perfectly straight in a pew and it doesn’t have to be time-consuming either! Like anything else we do every day, prayer helps us change our perspective by giving thanks for what’s going well in our life.
Journal Time with God
This is a time you can write out your requests to God and spend time just soaking in all he has to say or all you want to tell him. This can be a daily prayer time activity you do. I like to journal first thing in the morning, typically I was doing this as soon as the last child boards the bus. I journal about the day and begin going over my list of people to pray for, what I wish for them, etc.
No clue how to begin a prayer journal? That’s fine, try reading a passage of Scripture. Keeping Scripture close means you can read it at any time for comfort or guidance. This allows you to memorize the verse and pray to God, you can do this at the breakfast table while spending time in the word. Imagine starting your day off like this, you are already filling your life with peace from the start.
Pray throughout the day
Pray without ceasing. ” – Thessalonians 5:17
Most people don’t think about all the available opportunities they have to take a few minutes out of their day to pray. Here I’ll break down just a few places in your daily life where you can pray daily. Praying without ceasing is when you pray throughout your day without having to even think about it. In a way, it is like second nature, just as if someone was already in the house talking with you. You don’t have to THINK about talking to them, you just do. This is the same for God, just pray in the everyday moments.
- When you wake up: Thanking the Lord for getting you through the night, praying about the appointments for the day, etc.
- meal times: (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner) This may simply be a prayer for being thankful for the meal and asking to bless those that made it. Don’t forget you could even pray for those that don’t have a meal that they are given a meal today.
- Commute to work: You can pray over the safety of your drive, that your vehicle makes it there without incident, and pray for others driving around you. Pray that God uses you that morning, etc.
- Chores: You can look at this as more of talking or singing out your prayers to the Lord. I like to wash the dishes and pray about whatever comes to mind.
- Errands: As you are going from one place to another you can pray over that place, individuals you saw or talked with, the success of the company, etc. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed you could pray to feel less stressed, more energized, etc.
- Take a walk outside: Walking outdoors can help you find some peace and quiet, which is perfect for praying.
- Bedtime: The Lord’s Prayer is the first thing that comes to mind, one I’ve taught my kids to say every night before bed. Now they add more to it and have changed it up a bit.
- Join a bible study or a prayer group: Find others that want to pray, and set aside sometime each day at the same time as them so that you will be able to pray together. Remember where two or more are gathered.
Prayer time may become difficult to find if you aren’t searching it out, especially once the day has begun. Currently, you may have to make time to pray into a daily habit, but soon that habit will just be something that happens. Just like when you get out of bed and flip the coffee switch or wake kids for school, or even get yourself dressed. Soon you’ll notice you are praying the moment your head lifts from the pillow and until it falls back onto the pillow at the end of the day.
Listen for Opportunities to Pray
Whenever you hear a siren: first responders are going to a call, sirens blaring, that usually means someone is in some type of trouble. The siren is an auditory reminder that someone is in need and could use some extra strength and prayer. Challenge: When you hear a siren, take a moment to say a prayer for whoever is in need.
When you hear a car honk. Usually, this is someone impatient or that just about got hit by another vehicle. Challenge: First count to 5 if it is for you. Otherwise, say a quick prayer that their travel home is safe. They have the patience to get home and that their day starts becoming a better one.
If your window is open chances are you can hear people walking by. Imagine that person may not know God, or if they do maybe no one is praying for them. Challenge: Say a quick prayer or a blessing over that individual.
Do you get on social media? If you do maybe you will see someone ask for prayers, add them to your list. Challenge: Pray for those on your list. Maybe do a post asking for those that need prayers.
Listen to your intuition: Have you ever just had the urge to reach out to someone, to let them know that you’re thinking about them? The Spirit could be moving you to do this, focus on this specific person. More often than not they just need some support and a little bit goes a long way. Challenge: Reach out and see how that person is doing? Ask if they need prayer. Pray for them.
Bible Verses on Prayer that You should Read
Luke 18: 1-8 In the parable of the widow we learn she is praying to God daily, his reply to her was that he would bring justice to those that believed and prayed to him daily. “now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them?” – Luke 18:7
Matthew 6:5-13 God lets us know that what is done quietly is rewarded. But if you are boasting or doing something publically so you will be acknowledged he will not reward you for it.
Prayer trackers can help
Keep track of how much time you spend praying each week, month, and year so that you can see your progress over time. By keeping a prayer tracker you’ll soon notice the best times for you to pray. This will make that transition into a solid prayer life stronger and easier. Once you start tracking the times you pray and how long you can start logging those prayers in and have a section for when they are answered.
Download this FREE Prayer Tracker!
Are you ready to make time to pray daily?
I know that it can be tough to find time to pray daily. It is so easy to get consumed by your day-to-day and miss the little blocks of time you have set aside for prayer throughout your day. But don’t give up! You can find a way to incorporate these moments into your daily routine, even if they are small or unexpected. Join me in my journey as we explore how making prayer part of our lives has helped us grow in faith one step at a time together! How have you found time to pray on a daily basis?
