I’ll be the first to say I stink at prayer. I know, I know… you’re going to say “how can you stink at prayer, you’re a pastor?” I understand. I know it seems weird. I’m not saying I don’t pray, or I don’t enjoy prayer. I’m not saying I don’t understand it or I need help understanding why we pray. I’m just saying I stink at prayer.

Over the weekend I read an interesting article in LeadershipJournal.net by Greg Boyd entitled “Learning Imaginative Prayer”. In the article he said…

I first encourage people to make a date with Jesus simply to enjoy the beauty of Christ. Intercession is important, but so is resting in Christ. While in a space conducive for prayer, I have them ask the Holy Spirit to help them experience Jesus; to make him become real to them.

Now, I’m not saying I buy into everything the guy was saying, but he got me thinking. The idea of “Imaginative Prayer” is something that I’m willing to try. I know I need to spend more time just resting in Christ and I can see how it could help someone who is easily distracted, like myself, stay more focused. Here are a few other things I’ve been doing over the past few years to help me focus while I pray.

1) Keep a “to do” list next to me as I pray. Often, while I’m praying, little things pop into my head that need to get done in the course of the day. Pausing to write it down allows me to get it out of my head so I can get on with my prayer.

2) Praying Outside. God has wired me so I feel closest to Him when I’m out in nature. Some of the most meaningful times of prayer come for me when I’m out hiking or just spending time in God’s creation.

3) Short Prayers. I used to think if you were really spiritual you could stay in one place and pray for hours. While I’m sure this is a good thing, it’s not the way it works in my life. I have learned to pray throughout my day. I try to live out 1 Thess. 5:17 “pray without ceasing”. When God brings something to my mind I need to pray about in that moment, I pray. It’s not now I’m typing, now I’m praying, and now I’m typing again. It just becomes a continuous stream in my life.

So how does this work for you? How’s your prayer life?

Pete