Prayers Tips for the Busy Women

We covered the Bible last week, so now let’s turn our attention to prayer.  It may seem difficult to eek out “extra” time to pray each day, but is that really what God is calling us to anyway?  The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing,” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, that means non-stop.  So instead of waiting for imaginary “free time” to come, we need to be praying in the midst of our full and active lives.  To aim for this holy ideal (God’s standards are always perfect, anything less and he would not be God), we need to learn to make prayer a natural part of who we are, as much a part of our day as breathing.  This is a vital factor in our relationship with God.  Prayer helps us to practice and experience the closeness of having our loving Father with us at all times.  This incredible access is granted to us only through the actions of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 10:19-20).  Here are some of my personal tips to encourage this life of prayer in women:

• Begin your morning with prayer. Let the first words out of your mouth be words to God.  Make this a habit for life.  Talk to God before getting out of bed.  It may start with a plea of, “God please help me!”  It will grow from there into praises.  This sets the tone for leaning on your Father for all things throughout the day.  “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” Psalm 5:3.
• Have prayer zones. Decide to pray when you are doing certain activities or are in certain spaces: folding laundry, vacuuming, driving in the car, eating your lunch, in the shower, etc. You can even pray for specific people in these places (i.e. praying for each family member when folding their clothes) or use certain areas for prayers of thanksgiving and praise (i.e. the car).
• Understand the two-way conversation. God speaks to you through his Word, you speak to him in response.
• It doesn’t have to be long. Hear me now, you have official permission to pray short (yet sincere) prayers.  This is how we “pray without ceasing.” We are in a continual conversation with our Dad that never stops.  Prayer doesn’t have to look like going into our bedroom and spending an hour on our knees pouring out our hearts to God.  It also should be quick prayers for wisdom when you have to make a decision, a request of God for someone on your mind and times of spontaneous praise.
• But…still pray for long periods of time. Short prayers are okay, but don’t neglect the precious sacrifice of time.  DO go into your bedroom and spend an hour on your knees pouring out your heart to God sometimes.  Be intentional in setting aside longer periods of time to really get deep with God.  You will be amazed at the benefits reaped from sowing time in conversation with the Almighty Creator.  There is no one more fascinating to talk to!  Jesus is our example in both areas, he prayed both short prayers (Luke 11:41b-42, before calling Lazarus out of the tomb) and long prayers (John chapter 17 on the night he was arrested).
• Pray FIRST! Let prayer be your first action in all areas.  When you receive good news or bad news, have a decision to make or need wisdom, let prayer be your first resort not last.  Build the habit of turning to God in ALL things.  Teach this to your children.
• Pray when the request is made. It is too easy to agree to pray for someone and then forget as soon as you walk away.  Offer a prayer up right away after receiving the request so you do not forget and so that you are keeping your word.  You can pray at a later time as well.
• Pray always and in all ways. Don’t limit yourself to preconceived notions on how you think prayer should look.  Pray out loud and silently, eyes open and eyes closed, head bowed and eyes lifted to heaven, pray on your knees and standing tall with arms up, in joy and in grief, with others and all alone.  Just pray.

Ladies, talk with God.  In this simple act, we have access to the immense blessings of God as we enter into the holy place where he resides on his throne with Christ to his right interceding on our behalf.  This is overwhelming to think about.  He commands us to pray non-stop because it is the best thing for us to do.  What an amazing and generous Father we have! 
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm 145:18-19