Layering Prayer Into Your Day

Back to this idea of layering-—consciously adding prayer, Bible reading and time spent with God in small bits and pieces throughout the day until these times become ingrained habits, until they are part of the normal pattern of our days.

When I first began my layering experiment, I decided to use various things I do every day as “prayer reminders,” things that would prompt me to pray here and there for a minute or two. I thought this was a rather feeble attempt to pray without ceasing but I actually heard Charles Zimmerman, a professor at Biblical Seminary, make this very same suggestion during a sermon recently. Now that I have heard a seminary professor recommend it, I feel pretty good about it! Zimmerman called these things “prayer prompts.” They add no “extra” time to your daily schedule, but they get you praying. The following are some of his suggestions and some of mine.

--Hit alarm button. Ask God to direct you throughout the day. Specifically mention anything you are worried about that you (or someone you love) will face during the day.

--Take shower. Ask God to cleanse you from the inside out. Thank Him for your health and pray about any specific health concerns.

--Eat breakfast. Thank God for His daily provision. Ask Him to continue meeting your physical needs throughout the day.

--Read newspaper. Ask God to work His will on earth. Pray quickly about things that are worrying you in the news—the fear of e. coli, your kids getting too involved in My Space, an election, whatever.

--Get kids out the door to school. Pray for their spiritual and physical safety and any specific concerns you have.

--Arrive at work. Ask God to bless your work, direct your ways and help your attitude.

You get the idea. Modify these suggestions to fit your daily routine and remember, these are just quick shots of prayer raised to God. They don’t require a big block of time which you can’t find or maintain on a regular basis. The whole point is that you already do all the rest of this stuff on a regular basis so if you weave prayer into them you have a chance of praying more regularly. After awhile, you’ll find that prayer is becoming an automatic response. In other words, you'll find you are becoming a person of prayer.