Pray Before You Meet

I know that for me, consistency in my prayer life is one of the things that I struggle with. There are the highs, when I seek every opportunity to talk to God, engaging in a dialogue with him throughout my day. But then there are the lows, when I have difficulty focusing on God for as little as 5 minutes on a regular basis. There are cycles to my 'highs' as well; there are times when I find it easy to pray for others, in addition to myself, and times when I get so caught up in myself that I selfishly forget about praying for my friends, let alone acquaintances and others. Is there a way for me to reconcile this? Is it realistic for me to expect myself to be a "super prayer warrior," all the time? I would argue that it's not, although it is important to have an ideal to strive for. We should not view prayer as an obligation, but rather an opportunity to hang with our best friend.

Just a few things that have helped me with my own faithfulness:

• Set aside a consistent time everyday for God. Obviously praying/bible study outside of these times is fine, but I've found that it's much easier to be "too busy" when I don't have a definite quiet time established. Know yourself-- if you can't carry on a basic conversation before 10am perhaps first thing in the morning is not the best time


• Make a schedule for general areas to pray for on a regular basis. This will allow you to devote more time to each issue, so you can really think about why it is you're praying about it, and can take some time to "be still" and listen to what God has to tell you. For example, mondays you could pray for national affairs, tuesdays for school/church issues, etc.


• Establish a realistic minimum amount of time to spend during your daily session with God. I've heard prayer referred to as being similar to a muscle, in that it's something you have to build up, with practice. If you're accustomed to spending 15 minutes every few days, perhaps starting off at an hour everyday is not the most realistic expectation. Maybe 15 minutes daily is a better place to start. The length of time is not the point-- it's about developing consistency and a commitment you're making to God to be more faithful. Don't get me wrong, prayer is a crucial part of our life and growth as Christians, but don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. We're human and will let God down. Fortunately, he won't return the favor.

Just a few of the thoughts rattling around in my head. This week's devotional is taken from the Campus Journal...have a blessed week!

-AMR