The Importance of Prayer
Kayla Clark
The Importance of Prayer
Prayer is one of the greatest blessings that God has given us. Praying is so simple but somehow, we make it so hard. I often find myself making prayer the last thing on my “to do list”. I have found that the more time I put into my prayer life, the more I enjoy praying, and the easier it becomes. Praying takes work! So I am going to share some practical things that have helped me prioritize prayer more.
1. First thing- is keep a list of prayer requests on your phone. If you are like me your phone is pretty much with you all of the time. I have found that having a list on my phone allows me to fill wasted time with prayer instead of social media etc. I have different lists for different topics. For example: I have a list of people with health issues, a list for people I know who struggle with anxiety, I also have a list of people who I have met that have Type 1 Diabetes. These are just a few examples, but having separate lists keeps the list shorter and not as overwhelming to pray through. When you have 5 minutes between a class period or while waiting for an appointment try praying through a list, I promise you the people on that list will appreciate it.
2. Secondly, pray while doing something. Now, I know we need quiet time alone with God, and it is very important, but sometimes I find myself spending my prayer time focusing on what I need to get done. So instead of spending little time in prayer and not getting done what I need to, I have found I can do both at the same time. I try and walk my dogs a lot so instead of listening to music I try to spend that time in prayer. Driving, cleaning, whatever it is you need to do that day- try praying instead of just letting your mind wander. We can never pray enough!
3. Thirdly, keep a “Thank You List”. Two summers ago, I started a list on my phone with a few things I was thankful for. If you can’t tell, I am definitely a list person:) I typed in the date at the top, and each day I started typing a few things I was thankful for before I went to bed. This has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I put down anything I can think of, big things like my family and my students, to small things like fuzzy socks and coffee. Anything that I am thankful for that day! This allows me to end my day on a positive note and focus on the good things God has blessed me with. Whenever I have a bad day, or I find myself complaining I can scroll through and be reminded of all that God has done and given me.
Prayer allows us to become closer to God, but it’s up to us to determine how close we want to be.