If you're like me, praying and reading the Bible can become rather rote. That's why I don't pray before meals, although I don't mind if you do. But it is important to get that one-on-one time with God. So I thought I'd share how I do it and how some other people do it.
When we were kids, my mother used to get up early every morning to do her quiet time. And rather than feeling more tired, she would feel refreshed and invigorated. Whether that's because of God or because it gave her a few minutes to herself, who can say? But that's what worked for her.
I have one friend who needs to take a 'God Day' once in a while. He'll head off into the mountains or the desert for the whole day (or a half day, if that's all he can manage) and just spend time alone with God. I'd just sit there staring into space, but it does something for him.
Another friend lights a candle. Because his brain is always spinning so fast, it gives him something to focus on and helps him slow down.
And then there's the friend who has created a whole positive self-talk routine that she does every day (sometimes multiple times), complete with scripts and orchestration, to help remind herself of how God thinks of her.
Some people use journaling. And there's fasting. Meditation. Accountability partners. Doing artwork. Setting an alarm and praying every hour on the hour.
And me? Well, for one, I pray every night. I crawl into bed and kinda review the day, thanking God for everything. Sometimes it's longer, sometimes it's shorter. Occasionally, it's just 'Thank you for loving me.', because I don't feel like praying, either because I'm super tired or I've got a bug up my butt about something. But every night, I check in. And I pray throughout the day whenever it strikes me, often just one-liners dispatched like a text message. That might make it sound like I'm praying 'without ceasing', but there are days when nothing hits me and I don't pray all day. I guess I think of it as an open connection, and God's always there listening, if and when I have something to say.
And a new thing for me involves writing poetry. I've given myself a project of going through the Psalms and writing poetry based on each one, and having that intentionality has helped me focus more on pulling out the meaning, instead of just reading it. That's not every day, but it's about 3 times per week.
So many ways to connect with God, and we each need to find our own. I can lay in bed and talk to God without getting sleepy, but maybe you can't. My brain doesn't spin like a whirlwind, so I don't need to light a candle, but maybe that would work for you. We're all different, and that's beautiful. So, I hope you try different things and figure out what works for you. And I hope you find your thing.
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