Thursday Encouragement-Distractions in prayer

I don't know about you but sometimes I start praying and before I know it my mind has wandered and I am no longer praying, but thinking about other things. There have been times that I have started to pray and then a laundry list of things that I need to do will flood my mind. What do you do during these times of distractions? When the list starts going through my head I will stop praying and take the time to write them down so I can go back to praying distraction free. I have also prayed for the Lord to help me focus and not be distracted. I recently read an excellent book, What If Jesus Was Serious about Prayer? by Skye Jethani (you can read my review here). In his book, Jethani states, "If Jesus was serious about prayer then we cannot wait for the noise to stop before we pray." We live in a world that is constantly in noise and chaos. Most people can't even stand the silence, they listen to the TV, radio, podcasts, or whatever else. Ever since the pandemic started I have gotten to where I crave silence because it is so rare! There is constant chatter everywhere. Even amidst the noise of this world, we need to pray, maybe even more so because of the noise of this world. Jesus was busy with his ministry yet he took time out to pray Luke 5:15-16). He did not neglect what He needed to do, He realized He could not do it on His own and needed to have quiet and meet with His Father. Prayer is important, one of the most important things that we can do each day because it prepares us for the day and what we will have to encounter. I love how Jethani expresses this:

Our minds are so accustomed to external stimulation that they go through withdrawal when the noise is turned off. To avoid this pain we replace the need for external distractions with internal ones. Henri Nouwen described it this way: "The trouble is, as soon as you sit and become quiet, you think, Oh, I forgot this. I should call my friend. Later on I'm going to see him. Your inner life is like a banana tree filled with monkeys jumping up and down." 

What are we to do with our inner monkeys when we are trying to pray? A sure mistake is pretending the monkeys are not there. it only makes them jump and scream more. As someone once said, "No noise is so emphatic as one you are trying not to listen to."

Instead, welcome your monkeys into your prayers. Present to God whatever distracting ideas, tasks, or images flood into your mind. Start praying wherever your thoughts are. If you wait until the monkeys calm down and go away, you'll never pray at all.

Someone said to me yesterday, "I want to be a good Christian and all, but praying is not my first reaction. I just don't think to pray." I think this is fairly normal for most people. If you want to do something regularly then you have to practice it until it becomes a habit. Once it becomes a habit it becomes a little bit easier to remember and go to the Lord first. However, for most of us we will still go to friends or family first, and then remember to go to God. That is part of our human nature.

So, how can we get in the habit of prayer, especially if we've never made it a habit or priority?

Here is something I learned years ago when we did a prayer challenge:

• Identify a time you will pray every day
• Pick a place you will go every day (be sure to pick a place you feel connected to God)
• Identify a specific person, promise or problem you will circle in prayer every day for the coming 3 weeks
• ***Be sure to keep this appointment with God every day and see what He accomplishes in and through you

If you would like to read more the prayer challenge you can read it here.  

Just how do we minimize our distractions in prayer?  Turn our monkeys into prayers! Something I have told my youth group is that you don't have to pray the long "pastor" prayers to connect with God. It can be simple prayers, especially when starting. You can simply wake up and say, "Thank you, Lord, for a new day and a fresh start." That is inviting Jesus into your day. We can thank Him for our meals, the weather, our family, or anything else. I find myself praying and thanking God when I am folding laundry. I thank Him for each member of my family that He has blessed me with as I fold their laundry, they are precious gifts and I don't take them for granted. I thank God for Matt and His job when unexpected things come up that we have to pay for. It's okay to be honest with God and tell Him we don't even know what to pray, simply saying "Jesus" can be enough at times. It redirects our focus from the distraction to our heavenly father. There are so many ways that we can overcome the distractions that keep us from prayer, and the distractions that come at us as we pray. I think the most important thing is not to be discouraged, but to keep going to the Lord in prayer. He hears our prayers, He knows our hearts, and He understands our distractions.

If you want more concrete examples of ways to fight distractions in prayer, you can read this article I came across. What monkeys do you need to turn into prayer? Do you have any suggestions for dealing with distractions in prayer? I would love to hear from you.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7