Every Christian knows that time with God in prayer is crucial to a thriving life of faith. It’s how we communicate with God—pouring out our hearts, expressing our gratitude, confessing our mistakes, seeking guidance, you name it. Prayer is our lifeline for strength, trust, hope and reliance on God. Prayer is how we partner with Him in establishing plans and accomplishing His will. Prayer unlocks power in our lives. It’s as necessary to a healthy relationship with God as breathing is to our own existence. The Bible tells us to pray. We need it. We know it. We want to. But my, how we struggle to find time for it.
I want to share what I’ve learned are some common roadblocks to prayer and give you some practical ways to overcome them to make prayer a sweet priority in your life.
Why is it so hard?
Having a consistent prayer life isn’t something you fall into naturally when you become a Christian. It takes intentionality and commitment to incorporate it into the rhythm of our routines.
It took me the longest time before I shifted from sporadic, catch-as-catch-can praying to consistent, daily prayer. Everything—and I mean everything—used to take priority over praying. I was too busy with all the daily obligations screaming for my attention. At the end of a long and loaded day I would see if I had enough time—and energy—to talk briefly to God. Needless to say, that didn’t happen often. Gradually, God began to teach me the importance of prayer so I doubled my efforts and was marginally successful (and feeling guilty when I wasn’t). My prayer life didn’t significantly improve until I realized that despite my over-saturated schedule, carving out time for prayer was some of the most valuable time I would ever spend here on earth. I realized that prayer is one of the greatest investments of time we can make for our personal growth, our future, our relationships, our kids, and the world around us. If I really wanted to live an impactful and meaningful life for the Lord—one that would bless the people around me—then I needed time with God in prayer. Grasping this understanding has been my reason to establish a committed daily prayer time in my life. It is still challenging, at times, to sit still before the Lord with a million responsibilities clamoring in my head. But the moment I enter His presence each day I know I am right where I belong. Prayer has become so important in my value system now that I don’t want to let a day go by without engaging God in prayer. It has become a sweet priority in my life.
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” -John 15:5
Recognizing Roadblocks to Prayer
Without intentionality, any number of things in life—even those that are completely wonderful—can become roadblocks to finding consistent time for prayer.
Busyness
Busyness is the number one reason people give for struggling to find time every day to pray. We’re all busy people. We live in a culture that esteems busyness. It crosses over every boundary of age, gender, and race. We have truckloads of obligations between work, school, church, spouse, parents, kids, and friends. Our checklists have never been longer and what we consider to be extra time in our lives has never been shorter.
Let me tell you, friend, that the busier you are and the more responsibilities you have, the more necessary prayer is to your well being. The very things that are hindering your time for prayer are the same reasons you need to be on your knees. Jesus Himself was busy—under a constant barrage of needy people. Yet still He took time to pray. Prayer only happens if it’s our priority.
Unrealistic Expectations
It’s easy to get an unrealistic idea of what prayer time with God is—as if there is one “right” way to pray—one way that pleases God. Maybe you think you need to be on your knees for an hour or more each day in your private prayer closet with Bible in hand. We can become so unnecessarily legalistic about prayer that it keeps us from praying at all. And what that perspective ultimately leads to is a false notion that we can manipulate God’s favor towards us. Not true.
When it comes to prayer, God wants our hearts—pure and simple. Minutes don’t matter as much as our mindset. Situations aren’t as important as sincerity, and the posture of our hearts matters more than the position of our body. Prayer time comes in all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s prayer time. What works well in your life may be totally different than what works in mine. And even that may vary depending on the season you’re in or your circumstances. God cares much more that we pray than the logistics of how we pray. A heartfelt prayer offered over a bathroom sink can be every bit as significant as one spoken on our knees at church. If you’ve been hanging onto a confining notion of prayer, it’s time to let it go and start enjoying the real freedom to pray as God invites and leads.
Unconfessed Sin
Nothing hinders our prayer life as much as this one. I know—we don’t like to think about it, let alone talk about it. But the truth is that if we’re carrying around something we’re ashamed of, it will undoubtedly hold us back from spending time with our all-knowing God. What we often neglect to realize is that it also holds back the floodgates of blessings God wants to pour into our lives. Sure, it’s tough owning up to our sin and turning from it. Shame or even fear may be keeping us from running into God’s open arms. But when we do, we are immediately given grace and a balm of forgiveness that leads us into complete restoration with our loving Father.
The Enemy
Without giving too much attention to this, let’s just acknowledge that prayer is the last thing the devil would like us to do. He knows that the less time we spend on our knees before God, the less empowered we will be to live our lives as God intended. He will do everything in his ability to prevent those times—those moments—that we connect with God. He has made it his mission and for many of us, he’s succeeding with our permission. Ironically, prayer is precisely the weapon best suited to halt his plans. Prayer is powerful and can thwart even the worst schemes the enemy can devise.
How to Overcome Roadblocks and Find Time for Prayer:
1. Realize the value of prayer.
Figure out your reason for wanting to pray and be ready to remind yourself daily why it’s an important value to you. Make this reason a screensaver on your phone, scribble it on your bathroom mirror or put post-it-notes on your frig—wherever it will clarify your realization.
2. Make prayer a priority.
Begin to see prayer as the valuable time it is—for you and for your relationship with your loving Father. Once you’ve established your reason for wanting to pray, give it the time it deserves, no matter the cost.
3. Determine your plan—your “when”—for prayer.
Examine your schedule and consider where you can carve out a block of time. Early morning? Late evening? What time gives you the greatest opportunity to be consistently present for prayer? I personally love prayer first thing in the morning. It sets my mind and heart in the right direction for the entire day. When my kids were young, the minute they left for school I waved goodbye to them and went off to pray —bare feet, jammies and all! Now that they’re grown I still enjoy opening my Bible and my heart to God in morning prayer. But everyone’s routine is different. Maybe late at night works better for you when your house is quiet and your heart is still. Find a time that suits you best.
If you’re struggling to find available time, look at what consumes your schedule and ask yourself which things are not as much of a priority as prayer. What can you let go of?
Free up marginal and distracting times for prayer. We all have times in our day that get wasted with distractions. Consider snatching back some minutes spent watching tv or moments surfing the web to create a nice space for prayer.
Use in-between times for prayer. Put to use those activity times when your mind is free to pray. Turn in-between times into powerhouses of prayer: shower time, commute time, lunch break, gym time, school pick-up waiting line time, etc…
Consider waking up an hour early. I can hear young moms screaming at the thought of this—you are already sleep-deprived, I know. But some of us could tweak our sleep schedules in this way and gain a quiet space before the rush of the day to have our coveted quiet time of prayer.
4. Commit to and practice your prayer time.
Set reminders on your phone, appointments on your calendars or alarms on your clocks—whatever it takes—so you don’t miss your regular time in prayer.
Keep your reason for praying in the front of your thoughts so you remember why you are committed to this.
Be watchful for roadblocks that can quickly turn into excuses for not praying.
Don’t be rigid, just consistent. Remember that prayer is about your relationship with God. Be reasonable in your expectations and flexible enough to focus on what matters most here.
Have grace with yourself when you miss your prayer time. It will happen and God will understand. Just jump in and begin again.
You will never regret finding time to pray and making it a consistent part of your life. In fact, I am confident that you will deepen your faith and be encouraged on your journey. There is no mom on the planet more powerful, no CEO more focussed, no student more prepared, no one more ready to live a full and abundant life than those bathed in prayer. I am praying for you right now that you will make prayer a consistent priority in your life—avoiding the roadblocks, casting off the excuses, and enjoying the blessings of speaking freely to our Almighty God. You can do this, dear one—just ask God to help you.
Amen.