saltandlight

Have you ever experienced “prayer adhd”? I actually have been diagnosed with ADHD and I knew exactly what that was when I heard the term. It is basically when you start to pray and your mind wanders off to other things! I think that in this world today, even if you don’t have an ADHD diagnosis, we all fall into this trap because of how busy we are.

A few years ago I felt led to start writing out my prayers. I haven’t always been consistent with it, but it really seems to help me focus on what I’m praying about and the direction of the prayer. I have a notebook full of prayers that is top secret and no one else has access to it. It’s just for me and the Lord. I recently went back through the notebook and read some of the prayers written in it from years ago. It’s neat to see how some of the things I was praying for then have been answered.

Prayer is so vital to our walk with God. A relationship cannot thrive without communication. So, I wanted to give some tips on how to keep your prayers more focused. Maybe writing isn’t your thing. That’s what helps me and I would recommend you try it before you decide it isn’t. But, there are other ways and suggestions that I have found over the years and some I have used and still use!

Making a list of what you need to pray about and reading it while you pray is helpful. You can take your church prayer list and maybe add to it, or keep your own personal prayer list. Maybe you could keep a small notebook around the area that you usually pray in and you can mark off when prayers are answered. Another idea is to keep a prayer list in the note section on your phone! Although personally I can’t be holding my phone while praying. It’s too much of a distraction.

Some people use prayer cloths, prayer shawls or veils to help keep them focused while praying. It kind of blocks you away from the world. I like the idea of veiling for prayer. Susanna Wesley put this into practice while raising her 10 children, she would throw her apron over her head to pray and this was a signal to the children to not interrupt her! She did what she had to do to get her time alone with God.

Keep it short and simple. Prayers don’t have to be long and complicated. God knows your heart. He doesn’t need fancy words or clichés. Saying shorter simple prayers more often might be easier. However, this can turn into a problem. Saying a quick prayer here and there is fine, the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. But, we still need some quiet and focused prayer time devoted to God.

Praying while you are doing another activity. This may work for some people. My mind usually wanders too much! But, praying while doing dishes or driving (keep your eyes open though!) are good ways to fit some prayer time in. I have gotten some answers from the Lord while driving down the road talking to Him!

Having a devoted time and place dedicated to prayer is a really good idea. This could be in your car before heading in to work. Or in your car when you get home before going inside. It could be a break time at work that you can get off by yourself somewhere. It’s hard for some (me) to get into the habit of a dedicated time and place but once it becomes a habit, you find yourself remembering to do it and looking forward to that time with God.

Remember that God knows your heart. He knows your intentions. If we get sidetracked while praying, just redirect yourself back and keep moving. Keep talking to Him. Also side note – if you aren’t sure what to pray about it, ask Him. 🙂 He will actually bring people or situations to your mind that need prayer!

Praying and reading God’s Word so important to our relationship with Christ. We can’t just sit back and say “Oh well I’m just too busy” or “I meant to pray”. That is what the enemy is counting on. We have to find a way to make it happen! Life is so much sweeter and blessed when we are spending time daily with our Lord.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.