Prayer is a wonderful gift from Heavenly Father. It is our chance to communicate with Him. We can explain our feelings and listen to receive guidance, answers, and peace. It is too easy to take prayer lightly or to overlook praying. How many times do you rush out a hurried prayer or fall asleep in the middle of the prayer? How often does your mind wander off or you simply forget to pray?
Lately I have been so tired (three sick children will do that to you) that I have been dreaming mid-prayer. I will have these very random elaborate scenes come into my mind and then I half wake up and begin praying about the scenes. It has been very bizarre, and a definite sign that I need more sleep! It was bothering me that somehow I was allowing this to happen. So I decided to change up my prayer routine a little bit to make more prayers more effective.
The first thing I decided to do was to pray aloud. I stopped praying aloud regularly when I was in college and had roommates. Prayers are personal, so I would say a silent prayer before I went to bed. I still prayed aloud for my big prayers, but not my daily prayers. It really has made a difference. Saying the words out loud has really helped me focus more on what I am saying, what I need and how I am expressing myself. It has helped me to ponder more the things that I am concerned about and what I should not be as worried about.
The other thing I decided I needed to do was to find a quiet place to prayer that wasn’t too comfortable. As tired as I am praying while kneeling next to my bed just wasn’t working. I’d lean against the bed and I would start to drift off. The bathroom is actually a great place to pray. It is not too comfortable, it is quiet and you are less likely to be disturbed there.
Finally I prayed that I would be able to focus during my prayers more. This has helped as well. I find that I am able to focus more, and that my prayers are more effective. It really has made a difference in the way that I communicate with Heavenly Father. It has also helped me to continue to be grateful for the gift of prayer.
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