“Inevitably, the calendar crowds out the Spirit and the face of the clock hides the face of God. Prayer ceases to be the free breath of a ransomed soul and becomes a duty to be fulfilled."

From “Transforming Prayer” by Daniel Henderson

Prayer in my life happens in a variety of ways and places. Sometimes it is in a concentrated time, sitting at my desk with my Bible open and time to really spend time in the quiet with God. More often it is caught in moments between ferrying children to events, teaching school, doing laundry, preparing meals, etc. etc. Then there are those moments that all I seem to be able to do is send SOS prayers for help.

Thankfully, God hears all of those prayers. He understands the seasons of our lives and our circumstances even better than we do. He loves and accepts any communication that we offer him.

I know this to be true. But there are the moments when I find myself wondering if he is hearing anything. There are moments when prayer time just seems like something else to accomplish not something to relish. There are times that are just dry and energy-sapping. Frustrating. I've found that those are the times that my life has become the most crowded and I am letting the calendar/diary control me rather than me control the diary. They are the times that I am "fitting God in" rather than "fitting in with God." When my prayer life is stale I know that I need some concentrated time with him--regardless of how busy I am.

Being busy is okay. Times of life that mean less structured prayer time and more prayer on the move is okay. But God never wants us to just "fit him in." He wants our attention, and sometimes he uses a stale prayer life to wake us up. How grateful I am for those times to be drawn back to his presence.

Struggling with prayer? Perhaps some of the ladies writing today will bring you the encouragement you need. Visit Debbie at Heart Choices to follow their trail.