During Lent, we've been exploring some meaningful conversations that people had with Jesus during his earthly ministry. Prayer is our primary way of talking and listening to God. Yet, in our busy and noisy lives, it can sometimes feel hard to stay focused in prayer with so many things competing for our time and attention.
What helps you focus your mind and your heart when you pray? Here are a few things that help me focus when I seek to talk and listen to God.
I often pray out loud, just as if I am talking to a dear friend. Sometimes these prayers are just a few sentences, and at other times, I have much more to share with God. Over the years, I have found that the length of my prayers or the words that I say don’t matter. It is the regularity of my out loud conversations with God that are important. The more we talk to God, the deeper our connection with the Lord grows.
Sometimes I write my prayers out in a journal. These prayers are penned like a letter to God, but I never worry about correct spelling, good handwriting, or proper grammar. I write out whatever is on my heart, knowing God understands.
I've also drawn and doodled my prayers when I don’t have the words to pray. I am not an artist, but God understands what I am trying to communicate.
Praying with other people often helps me focus, too. At times, I have met weekly with a prayer partner. Now, our family spends time together in the evenings, reading a few chapters of Scripture and praying before bed. Our Tuesday Night Meet and Greet and our Saturday morning Prayer Call are two ways to connect with others in prayer each week, and there is always room for more folks to join in. Making prayer with others a routine is a wonderful way to cultivate a habit of prayer.
Listening to God as we pray can at times seem elusive. I've found that listening to Christian music throughout the day helps me focus my heart on listening to God. The music helps me quiet myself enough to listen for God’s voice but sometimes God even uses the lyrics of the music I am listening to teach me important things.
Often, I find myself listening to God when I am doing something else like driving, brushing my teeth, or walking around. I’ve never heard the audible voice of God, but I usually hear God’s voice as a gentle nudge in my heart or as a surprising idea that springs to mind unexpectedly. I’ve heard God's stirring in my spirit and sensed God’s leadership in my gut. God has even spoken to me through the encouragement or questions of God's people. I think the key to listening to God is simply being open and available for God to speak to us. So, this week, I want to encourage us to regularly open ourselves up to God using the word that the young prophet Samuel did by simply telling God, "Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3: 10).