Finding Your “Certain Place” for Prayer

What do you do when you don't have a quiet place to be alone and pray?

Do you feel like you don’t have a quiet place to pray? Does your home often feel busy and a bit too distracting for focused or intimate prayer?

Sometimes the issue is home clutter. I tend to lose focus when the space around me is disorganized.

But even if you fix the clutter issue, having a physical place to go to and pray – away from the pull of responsibilities and relationships – can be hard.

It seemed a bit challenging for Jesus too.

15 But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. 16 But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray. – Luke 5:15 – 16 NRSV

Right before he withdrew from the crowds to pray, Jesus had just performed a miracle of healing.

And, Luke’s gospel documents Jesus’ consistent back-and-forth rhythm of spending time with people – teaching, healing, or performing miracles – and spending time with God alone in deserted or certain places.

There are several parts of my day when I find myself praying amid my activities.

You know, praying while I’m cooking or during a moment of some sort of task.

Sometimes they’re more like breath prayers when I say, “Father I need your wisdom right now.” or “Father help Kendall with her Math lesson, she’s having a hard time.”

These prayers don’t need a special place or designated time – I just pray them as I need to.

Instances like these are good and necessary, but, I still need to get away with God alone to pray.

So what do I do?

I’ve had to troubleshoot this several times over the years, and I want to share 5 simple things I’ve done to create a “certain place” to pray.

Praying early in the morning. I’m not a morning person by any means, but I want to spend time with God. This has meant I’ve had to cultivate a lifestyle that made room for prayer early in the morning.

I get up before my kids every morning to pray, but it took time to develop this habit. And, it took several years before my kids slept past the time I woke, even when I got up early.

But now, waking up before my home wakes up has given me the time I need to pray to and with God every single day. It’s my “certain place” regarding the time of day that works best for me.

Praying outside. My patio is my “certain place” in the warmer months. I live in Atlanta and we have a longer warm season than many, so I can get away with “patio prayers” for much of the year.

My family knows I like to pray on the patio, so even if I’m out there after they’ve all woken up, they honor my patio time and try not to disturb me when they can see I’m praying.

I wanted to also mention that Eddie sometimes prays in his parked car in the garage. This is his version of praying outside.

Praying in my shower. I use time in my shower to pray just about every time I take one. It has served me as a faithful prayer altar for years. Especially when my kids were younger.

Praying while driving in my car. I do a lot of talking to God in the car. The only issue with making my car my “certain place” is that I don’t drive in my car alone every day.

But, if you happen to commute, carpool, or have a reason to be in your car
regularly/daily, your car could become a “certain place” of intentional time with God.

Praying while walking. I love going for walks (and I like trying to achieve a daily steps goal), so praying as I walk has become a dependable “certain place” for me.

Now it’s your turn – can you identify one place where you can retreat in solitude to spend intentional prayer time with God?

If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.