Putting your own prayers to work
Jotting them down is one thing...utilizing them another...
I am easily lost in the thought-world, the world of theories and philosophies.
So I recognize that I need to be better about getting to the nitty-gritty practical applications for some of these posts.
This one will hopefully be exactly that: practical.
Whether you want to pray The Lord’s Prayer more often, your own prayers you’ve created, or you just want to be able to read and memorize more prayers to use in your daily life…knowing how and when to pray/use them is tricky.
I’ve talked before about habit hacking and adding in a prayer as part of an already established habit.
For a recap:
Find an established habit of yours (like brushing your teeth before bed)
Find a way to insert a prayer to add to an already existing habit (like saying a quick prayer after your rinse and spit)
Repeat consistently
Voila new habit formed
For me, a very, very silly example is with The Lord’s Prayer when I’m ready to turn off my shower.
I love a good shower. And concluding that shower and moving into my productive day is a habit I saw where I could insert something.
So, when the shower kicks off I imagine it is “go time” in my head and I can launch myself into my day…but now…once the water turns off, I start reciting The Lord’s Prayer.
I now launch my “productivity” for the day with The Lord’s Prayer. And I really like this new habit.
All this to say, the best way to start utilizing your new prayer rituals is to insert them into your already existing habits.
My prayer for today
Our Father, thank you for the clarity to recognize that I need to be intentional with when and where my prayers need to happen. Jesus, continue to help me find ways to speak with you. Spirit, let your words be my words. Amen.
Remember
Establishing a prayer rhythm is less about brute-strength forcing prayer into your life and more of a trial and error to see what works best for you. This makes it so that prayer happens because of your life not in spite of your daily habits.