Day 1: How do I pray when I’m distracted?

Jules:  “Motherhood guarantees no shortage of distractions in life. Children come with a long list of reasons to pray. No sooner do we bow or drop to our knees than thoughts of practices, dinner plans, and family schedules invade our sweet hour (or five minutes?) or prayer! If you battle distraction, you’re not alone. God longs for us to come to him with our hearts fully engaged, even in the mommy years.”

Key verse: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”

(Isa. 29:13) 

Heather: “I never knew how much motherhood would push me to my limits. Suddenly I have a million things to do, too many to do lists, and am constantly pulling out the “Let’s Get Along” jar to curb the bickering in our home. So when it comes time to pray, all I can think about is the bickering, hearing the fridge click which then reminds me, I need to change the bulb in it and the list keeps going. One afternoon, I met with a mentor for coffee and told her how frazzled I felt when she took my hand and asked me to look her in the eye.”

“Heather you are too busy NOT to pray. If you don’t pray for your family who will? Who is going to ask God to cease the strife in your home or help you dig deep for strength on the days you need it most?”

Open mouthed, I knew she was right, I was needed to set aside time and pray, to honor God with time and heartfelt prayers. The next day, I grabbed a notebook, opened my Bible and read the passages for the day. After soaking in the passage, I prayed, pausing every so often to jot down something on my to do list in order to clear my mind.

Now when I pray, I sense distractions, but I am better able to keep them at bay until I’ve had my quiet time with God.

Let’s pause and pray right now, let’s “TALK.”

• Thank Him – What can you praise God for?
• Acknowledge Him – Surrender whatever it is that’s invading your thoughts.
• Lift up others – Cast your burdens on the Lord who listens and cares.
• Kneel before God – Open your heart and enjoy his love for you.

Thank you, Father God, for today’s quiet time. I am so grateful you are able to quiet me with your love. Lord, I give you authority over every area of my life, and I ask you to stir in me the desire to be in your presence, to want to pray and to get through my time with you, undistracted. I lift up my children, Father. There has been so much bickering. I ask in your name for compassion, kindness, and love to prevail. And I come before you now, humbling lifting up my prayers as I invite you into my home and my heart to walk with me throughout the day. Amen.

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