Do you struggle finding time to do a quiet devotion and pray daily or even weekly? Do you feel guilty when you read the scripture that talks about praying without ceasing?
In regards to this struggle, I recently had a friend tell me that her pastor’s wife gave her some advice when she was a young mother. She said to stay in a mind of prayer while you are doing things, because dedicated time will not always be a reality.
I felt relieved when I heard this because while I do have my dedicated devotion on most days, some days it just does not happen. On those days when the devotion time flops are you in a mind of prayer throughout your day? Are you taking time to show your little one Jesus? Are you having conversations with God as you take a walk or drive to the grocery store? While I 100% support daily devotion time and finding something that works for you, we also need to have a prayerful mind throughout our day.
1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Praying continually or without ceasing does not mean at all times be praying but it means keeping a prayerful mind throughout your day. It is keeping an open conversation with God going. When you are conversing with Him throughout your day, it brings you a sense of peace and it changes your attitude. Let’s be honest, it’s harder to get angry when you have just been speaking to Him!
Having a prayerful mind throughout your day will also allow you to be more in tune with the Spirit and more willing to discern what God is trying to show you. He can speak to you and reveal things you might have otherwise missed if you had closed that open line of communication. Like for example, that person in the grocery store who may need you to pray for them or that mom who is struggling and needs some words of encouragement. Keeping your mind in a state of prayer will make you more spiritually inclined and aware of the needs around you.
So how do we keep a prayerful mind throughout our day? We talk to God while we do chores. We talk to God when we go on a walk with our little ones. We pray with our kids in the morning, before naptime, or before bed. We pray scripture we have posted around our house. We write a few verses of a chapter in the Bible in a journal. We listen to worship music. There are so many ways to incorporate prayer and scripture into our daily lives. These things help us keep a prayerful mind even if we miss our daily devotion time.
So my friend, if you are not able to have your daily devotion time today, don’t give up and don’t feel guilty. The Lord knows your season of life and He sees every little effort you make towards Him. Just remember to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in every circumstance for this is God’s will for your life!
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