When people learn that I write about prayer, they often ask me, “How can I stay more focused when I pray?” They usually continue with something like, “I sit down to pray, start talking to God, and before I know it, I’m writing my grocery list, jotting down birthday card reminders, and answering a text message.” I get it. I experience the same distractions more often than you might think.

We sincerely want to spend quality time with our Father in prayer, but the world, especially the technology we use, has conditioned our minds to be on the lookout for the "next shiny object". We lose our focus, forget what we were praying about, and often feel like we disappointed God. I started referring to these prayer obstacles as Attention Deficit Prayer Practices (ADPP)^TM.

The solution is to replace our ADPP with Intentionally Engaged Prayer Practices (IEPP)^TM.

I have many recommendations to help when we are in a season of ADPP, but I'll offer one of my favorites in this post.

Writing my prayers by hand always helps me stay focused on my conversation with my Heavenly Father.

I use a prayer journal or write my prayers on a piece of paper. I don’t use a laptop, my phone, or an iPad, so I’m not tempted by more distractions.

If I write private, confidential prayers on paper, I can dispose of them if I choose. (I’m careful about what I write in case someone who is NOT God finds my notes.)

If I write my prayers (including my requests) in a journal, then I have the added benefit of looking back to thank God for answering my prayers. (Be On The Lookout 4 God #BOLO4G)

I often don’t write out the whole prayer, but even writing simple notes can help me stay engaged.

Did anyone in the Bible write out their prayers?

Yes! I think, at a minimum, David wrote his prayers as Psalms and even Paul focused his mind on prayer while writing portions of his letters. (As an aside, I'm just about to read a book about prayer in Paul's letters. I can't wait to share more with you, so stay tuned!)

Reader, God wants to hear from you. If you go through a season in which you have difficulty staying focused on your conversation with your Heavenly Father, try writing the conversation. Be authentic and honest and pour out your heart to the Lord. Hit reply and let me know whether this Intentionally Engaged Prayer Practice works for you!

Blessings,

Michelle | To God Be The Glory

Helping women nurture a deeper relationship with our one and only living God through prayer and the Bible

P.S. Oh, and here's one more way to focus your prayer time. Use my PRAY THE BIBLE verse calendar to focus your prayer on one verse at a time. You can click here for the download.