Praying When You Are Distracted

Do you ever get distracted when you are trying to pray?

Yeah, me too.

You know the drill...you have some important stuff to talk to God about so you settle in to pray and then...

-A text message beeps in.
-A child needs something.
-The doorbell rings.
-You think about what to make for dinner.
-You remember you forget to get the oil changed.

But you really want and need to pray, so you combat the distraction.

You try to swat it away like a fly. Or apologize to God for getting distracted. Or get frustrated, sigh and give up.

But what if there were another response?

The best way to deal with distractions in prayer is to make them the very subject of your prayer. Give into the distractions!

Check the text message and pray for the person sending it.

Meet your child's need and as you are so doing pray for their character to be shaped and molded into the character of Christ, all the while thanking God for the gift of parenthood.

Answer the doorbell and pray for the UPS guy and his family.

Revel in the joy of being able to prepare a meal for your family and thank God for the opportunity.

Ask God why the oil change popped into your head NOW of all moments. And then wait to hear him answer.

Sometimes it is good to insure we'll face no distractions by going away, being alone, telling the kids you need fifteen minutes uninterrupted.

But when distractions do come, surrender to the process and make the distractions part of your prayer itself.