6 Simple Ways to Make Time for Prayer

If spending time in prayer is challenging for you, allow me to share six ways to enjoy prayer every single day.

Cultivating a prayer life hasn’t come easy for me.

There was a time (which today feels like it was long ago in a galaxy far away) when I would get up in the morning and spend about an hour praying.

I wasn’t married and didn’t have a family yet.

I was a single 20-something with a lot of time on my hands (even though I didn’t realize how much time I had back then).

Of course, once I started a family, time became a precious commodity.

The problem was that I didn’t understand I now had diminished capacity, which meant my expectations around how I made room for faith practices needed to be tweaked a bit.

For a long time, I tried to honor a 1-hour prayer time in the morning but failed miserably every single time.

And eventually, I stopped praying altogether.

Why? Because the 1-hour time of prayer was the only prayer model I had.

And I could no longer do it.

Eventually (because he’s so faithful), God started showing me that the 1-hour morning prayer ritual wasn’t the only way to spend time in prayer with him.

It all began when my kids were toddlers, and I started taping sheet-protected printed scriptures on the tiles around my bathroom tub and praying them aloud while I was in the shower.

Cause back then the shower was the only place I knew I could count on for alone time every day.

That one change in perspective was the catalyst for my heart opening to allow my prayer time to look different than what I thought it should look like.

Can you relate to any of this?

If spending time in prayer is challenging for you, allow me to share six ways to enjoy prayer every single day.

And maybe a shift in perspective is all you need to begin a consistent, vibrant prayer practice.

1. Wordless Prayers
This is just you sitting in silence listening for God’s voice and guidance. I believe God is also listening to your heart as well. Find a quiet place to sit, maybe put on some headphones, and play a peaceful, worshipful instrumental. Then just sit quietly with God.

2. Singing God’s Words to Him
Singing is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. That’s kind of a big deal. There is also an entire book dedicated to songs filled with (both) rejoicing and lament to God that made it into the Biblical canon.

Make a prayer-filled playlist and sing the words to God, or sing songs from your heart to him.

3. Drifting Prayers (as you go to sleep)
Have you ever started talking with God while you lay across your bed before going to sleep? Your mind is quieting, and your thoughts are settling. Try saying a prayer to God right then. It’s OK if you fall asleep as you do.

4. Guided Prayers
You can read someone else’s written words to God and still mean them with all your heart. Just because you didn’t author the words doesn’t mean the words have no meaning. Reading guided prayers or praying scriptures is a powerful way to pray when you struggle to find words to say.

5. Prayer Journaling
This is as simple as grabbing a pen and paper and starting to write as if you’re sending words straight to God’s throneroom – because you are! Let it all out on paper – I’m certain God hears your heart.

6. Prayer Walking
Go out for a walk and talk with Jesus. Talk about whatever you want! Pray for your neighbors, your family, or over an issue you’re wrestling with. Pray and cry if you have to. You can even walk and listen in silence. There are no rules to this – just get outside, go for a walk and pray.

Those are just a few ways to jumpstart your thoughts around where you can insert intentional times of prayer into your life as you cultivate a prayer practice.

Let me know if any of these stand out to you or if you try something you’ve never tried before.