Finding Time to Pray

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Finding Time to Pray

by Milt Harris

Pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17 NIV).

Several years ago I felt motivated to expand my prayer life. My wife’s family meets bimonthly to pray for concerns and we’ve seen the power of God at work. But some serious issues needed ongoing prayer. Since I already used my morning prayer time to pray for my immediate family, when could I pray for the extended family?

God showed me I could pray for my wife’s family and my family on my commute to work and then during my ten-minute walk between the parking lot and office. All total, I found an extra hour to pray.

To help me remember to pray, I used visual cues. For example, my wife’s niece and family live along my route to work, so I prayed for them as I drove past their neighborhood. Similarly, when I drove near a church plant where my children attend, I prayed for growth for their church.

Now I’ve retired and don’t have a commute, so how can I pray more? I can pray whenever I do tasks that don’t require my full concentration. And so could you. For example, pray while you run errands, exercise, or walk. Pray while doing household chores, yard work, or taking a shower. And for visual cues, pray for neighbors while walking to the mailbox. Pray for children and schools when passing schools. And pray for pastors and congregations when you drive by a church.

If we ask God, He will show us how to “pray continually.” He knows our schedules and when we can pray more. He’ll help us “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” so we can “be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).

Questions: Keeping a prayerful heart is a habit we can grow in. What is one way you could suggest to find more time to pray? Do you use visual aids to remind you to pray for specific people and situations?