Our life is made up of a multitude of habits, often done on autopilot. We eat at the same time, go to sleep, and wake up at the same time, we lock our front door, close the garage, take the same route to work or school. We live out a life of habit. Even people who consider themselves spontaneous have habits.
We can look at a habit as something positive. Habits can help us use our brains for other, more challenging work. But there are habits that we find ourselves falling in and out of, and we scramble to get back on track and regain momentum.
We Can Lose our Prayer Habit
A few weeks ago, I was sick repeatedly. First, I had a cough/cold that was quite persistent. I recovered from that, and then I had a bout of vertigo. And one weekend, while climbing the stairs at work, I had what may have been sciatica trouble. Two things suffered during all this: my physical health and my spiritual well-being. I simply had no energy or ability to do anything but try to get back to normal.
I lost my habit of prayer in a matter of weeks. I prayed, yes, but not that deep, mental prayer that sustains, soothes, and shows me what God desires of me. I tried to pray but sleepless nights led to drowsy days so I would nod off, or I could not focus on the words or settle into a comfortable position.
We may also lose our prayer time when we are caring for someone who is sick, either because we are physically tired or constantly on call. Vacation time or visitors to our home can also throw us off our spiritual routine.
After a time, you begin to feel a bit on edge, lost. You miss God. Your behavior shows you need some intense quiet time.
How to Get Back into Habit
Begin by putting “prayer time’ in your calendar. Does that seem a bit odd? You put your dentist appointment, your child’s baseball game, a movie date with your husband and brunch with friends, why not add God to your calendar?
There is a reality that we all have 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week, and how we use that time is up to us. By scheduling prayer time, we remind ourselves that it is important and necessary.
Consider enlisting a prayer partner to check in with each day or every few days. This can be helpful to both of you as you hold each other accountable to your specific prayer goal. If the person lives nearby, find a local Adoration chapel to visit.
If you can go to a chapel to pray, with someone else or alone, stay for more than an hour if possible. Stay there until you are full again and your soul is settled.
Another important way to get back into praying is to put your prayer necessities back in order where they are easily accessed. Gather your Bible, journal and pen, put them near where you pray; bookmark what you are going to read.
Focused, mental prayer takes practice and commitment. If you have stopped praying that way for a time, and it is a struggle to pray with Scripture, consider using a daily devotional that offers some questions to think about for the day’s Gospel. The key is not to read 3 or 4 commentaries, but to focus on one.
Journaling right after reading scripture is also helpful. Your writing becomes a prayer and a reflection on what you have read. The writing brings up what you are noticing and what questions you have. You can than use that as the bridge into quieting your mind so you can be with God. If you were praying for an hour, start again with 20 or 30 minutes and then move towards the hour period.
Go Back to Prayer Quickly
We can become so distracted with catching up on the to-do list that we think we will simply get back to prayer when there is less to do. But will that time actually come? Time does not multiply for anyone; it is up to us to use our time wisely in the proper order. God comes first.
Do not wait until the perfect time or are 100% ready and all parts of your life are settled. Begin as soon as you can, as soon as you feel that tug of the Holy Spirit, get back to your time with God.
He will help you set your life back in order.
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Image courtesy of Unsplash.
