What Should I do during my prayertime and How long should it be? (Part One)

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Hello! I hope that you are feeling refreshed and ready to learn even more about how to grow in intimacy with Christ though having a daily prayertime. If you did not read yesterday’s post be sure to check it out here. Today we are going to discuss part one of what to do during a prayertime, when to have it, and how long it should be.  One of the questions I get often in ministry is “when should I have my prayer time?” To be honest, the best time to have your prayertime is definitely first thing in the morning, however, if that does not work for you, that is okay too. The reason it is beneficial to have your prayer time first thing in the morning, is because one of the benefits of having a prayertime is guidance. Certainly, the best time to get guidance for your day is in the morning, before your day begins! I would encourage each of you to have your prayertime in the morning.  In Psalm 57:8 and Psalm 63:1 the Psalmist David discussed how he met with God early in the morning. God delights in being your first thing.

With that said, I don’t want any of you to become legalistic about your prayertime experience. Like I said in the last post, having a prayertime is all about building relationship. God created you and He knows you. He understands your schedule, He knows if you work, parent, go to school, etc. He gets it, and he wants you to steward your responsibilities well. So he understands when you have prayertime seasons that are shorter, at night, or while partaking in other activities (working out, showering, etc.) There are some days when I have not had the opportunity to spend time praying or reading my word and I will bring God with me on my workout, by praying as I exercise and listening to worship, a teaching tape or the Bible on Audio. If you desperately want to have a prayertime but are short on time in the morning, spend time praying in the shower or listening to a podcast or Bible on audio while you get dressed. You can even pray during your morning commute. Though God is amazing and flexible, do remember that true intimacy will only occur if you also mix in quality time designated for him. Imagine if you tried to build a relationship with someone, but only talked to them as drove to work or went for a run. Though you could get to know them, after a while the building of intimacy would cease to exist unless you begin to spend quality, focused, alone time with that person.

Heart Check

·         How often do you have your prayer time first thing in the morning?

·         If you do not have it first thing in the morning, what keeps you from doing so?

·         How would you rate your “quality” time with God?

·         Are there ways in which you could increase your quality time with God?