Prayer as a Daily Habit

What is Prayer?

Prayer, as I like to define it, is having a conversation with God. The important word there is with. It implies a couple of things:

1. That God is there when you’re praying

and

2. That God is actively part of the interaction

Sometimes people fall into the habit of thinking that prayer is when we talk to God, but I actually think that a good conversation is one where both participants have the opportunity to talk and listen.

Contrary to popular belief prayer is a time where we can (I might even say should) try to hear from God.

Maybe this seems nuts to you. Maybe expecting a response or acknowledgement from the Creator seems unlikely to you. Maybe you think God is too big, important, and busy to even be present when you want to talk to him (let alone talk back).

Maybe that’s why so many people don’t bother to pray. It’s an action that, if God isn’t there, would make you look crazy. Talking to an empty room? To no one? Not great on the sanity scale. But God IS THERE, in fact, he’s always with you. Remember that Jesus says “ I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14: 16-17) and later Paul reminds us that “...you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst” (1 Cor 3:16)

Praying intimidates some people, they think they need to have the perfect words that they need to be elegant and flowery and complicated. But that isn’t the truth. God doesn’t need perfect words. He just needs honest ones.

Sometimes he doesn’t even need words (Romans 8:26-27). If something is burdening you, and it’s too big to talk about the Holy Spirit that lives within you will translate those feelings, whatever they are- pain, anguish, fear- and translate them for you. He’ll hold them for you-- if you’ll let him.

So how do you start?

It begins with a simple conversation. God wants us to want to talk to him, so if your desire is to connect and grow intimacy with him then you’re on the right track.

Here are some tips to help get you in the habit of praying regularly (and not just when you “need” something):

1) Set an alarm:

It may sound ridiculous, but if you don’t already have a practice of prayer, then set an alarm to go off at the same time each day. When it does- stop what you’re doing, and start talking to God.

2) Make it an appointment:

Again, might seem silly to “schedule in” time with God, but it can seriously negate the excuse “I don’t have time” or “I forgot.”

You wouldn’t skip a doctor’s appointment, or a lunch date with a friend would you? So why would you skip an appointment with the Father?

3) Attach this practice to something you already do daily:

A good friend of mine takes a shower first thing every morning. It’s part of her day that is non-negotiable and because of this, it has become the part of the day when she talks to God.

What is something you do every day that you can pray during? Brushing your teeth? Driving to work or school? Cooking a meal? Pick something then decide not to stream a video, listen to the radio or a podcast, or read a book. Instead, use the time to talk with God.

4) Ask others how you can be praying for them, and ask others to pray for you:

Sometimes it can feel selfish to pray for ourselves. When I get busy the first things that fall off my to-do list are the things that exclusively benefit me (like going to the gym and reading novels). I’m far more likely to do something if there is a benefit for someone else as well (this is why I have workout buddies and a book club).

Now I want to be clear here, praying for yourself, about your life, with God is not a selfish thing to do. However, if you have the inclination to feel like taking the time might not be worth it because you “should” be doing something for someone else- then this is a strategy that can help negate that feeling. God will use the time you give him to work on that with you.

There is a ton more to be said about prayer. There are dozens of ways to pray (breath prayer, fixed-hour prayer, intercessory prayer, praying scripture… the list goes on….) and hundreds of books on the subject. It’s a cornerstone practice.

But before getting into any of those details- we need to make prayer a priority. Get in the habit of talking to God daily, see how life-changing it can be- I promise, we’ll talk specifics later.

Love ya,

Do you have any tips on incorporating prayer into your daily life? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment, email me (meghanlamatthews@gmail.com) or connect with me on Instagram (@itsmeghanmatthews)