Image Credit:  Ben White - Public Domain Image via Freely Photos

Some view the topic of prayer as a complex subject, questioning what to pray, how long to pray, how often to pray . . . should prayer be kept private or spoken in public . . . this list goes on and one. Others view the topic of prayer as a simple subject . . . just talk to the Lord. One thing I thing we can all agree on is that we all need to pray more often. Valerie Woerner thinks so as well. She has written an article for Dayspring Cards & Gifts titled 9 Tips for Creating a Habit of Prayer. I hope her 9 tips help you grow your prayer life.

9 Tips for Creating a Habit of Prayer

I think we all wish we prayed more. We know it’s a good thing. We know more time in God’s presence has only positive effects. But we still struggle with it so much, don’t we? Here are nine tips to help make prayer a habit.

  RECOGNIZE YOUR NEED FOR HIM

I’ll get to the more practical tips in a second, but first and foremost, if we think we can do our daily lives just fine without Him, we will only call out to Him for the really tough stuff. When we start to see how desperately dependent we are on Him for every little aspect of life, we start talking. You will find yourself praying for strength to get through a meeting or just through the morning before nap time.

This owl themed Scripture printable is available here.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF CREATING A HABIT

If you grew up a good girl like me, legalism is an easy trap to fall into. And because we know that, we try to steer clear of getting too legalistic about anything, but creating a habit of prayer is a good thing. It’s important, obviously, that we don’t just go through the motions to check it off a list, but if you are praying sincerely, don’t be afraid of the routine of prayer.

HAVE A MORNING ROUTINE

This pairs with #2, but I wanted to expand a bit. I don’t think it matters if you are a night person or a morning person, what we set our minds on when we wake up directs the path of our whole day. On the days I don’t get my time with Jesus to reset my heart, I am less patient with my kids, less grateful for my circumstances, and more concerned with what the world thinks. If we start our day with Jesus, we are more likely to continue our day with Him. How do we convince ourselves that we could fit Him in later if we can’t get quiet with God before our kids get up, our phone starts dinging, our clients start emailing, or our boss starts calling?

This puppy themed Scripture printable is available here.

BUILD PRAYER INTO EVERYDAY TASKS THAT JUST REQUIRE HANDS

Think about the things you do that don’t require your brain and just require your hands or feet, like folding laundry, cooking dinner, and mowing the grass. Be on the lookout for all the tasks you do each day that aren’t so mental. You might be surprised to see how many opportunities you have to start a conversation with God.

PRAY WITH SOMEONE ON A REGULAR BASIS

Whether it’s a spouse or a friend, set something up now with someone else every day or even weekly. We shouldn’t rely solely on this time for our prayer life, but it will help us create some consistency and accountability.

INSTEAD OF SAYING YOU NEED TO PRAY, JUST START PRAYING

I have started doing this. If someone emails me and mentions a need, I’ll just pray for them in the email. I’m not going to just think about prayer anymore without actually praying. It’s too deceiving and convinces me I’ve prayed when really I have just talked about praying.

This baby seal themed Scripture printable is available here.

MAKE A COMMITMENT

I know, I know. Everyone says this. But it’s because it’s one of those things we overlook because we’ve heard so much. If we don’t commit to it, it’s simply not going to happen, though. The urgent will take over if we aren’t really committed to making this happen. So make a plan for one month. Set your alarm on your phone for 5, 10, or 15 minutes, pray, and don’t let anything interrupt until the alarm goes off. I am a strong believer that remembering what God has done is helpful motivation to keep praying.

WRITE DOWN ANSWERED PRAYERS

If you have a prayer journal, like ours at Val Marie Paper, this may already be a habit. When we see God really working as we pray, it’s easy to keep praying. This will help you dig deeper into your relationship with God, even in our busy world.

REMEMBER: THE MORE YOU PRAY, THE MORE YOU WANT TO PRAY

In my 7 years of being the prayer journal girl, I’ve had countless prayer sessions that drew me back to God and had me thinking, “Why haven’t I been praying like this every day?” And y’all, this isn’t even because of the answered prayers. However, I’ve learned those fuel my faith and peace, too! It’s easy to get sidetracked by busy schedules, but when I finally slow down to pray, I am kicking myself for not coming back sooner because it’s just sooo good.

Valerie Woerner is an author and the owner of Val Marie Paper. She lives in South Louisiana with her husband, Tyler, and two girls, Vivi and Vana. Since 2013, Val’s mission has been to help women live intentional lives that are an outflow of a fruitful and focused prayer life. She does that by creating practical and organized tools, like their monthly prompted prayer journal, that cut through the noise of everyday life.

Looking for more inspiration? Check out our most popular articles and devotionals in our Devotional Library.

Prayer should be as comfortable and as natural to us as breathing. I tend to agree with those who believe prayer isn't complex or complicated at all. Just talk to Jesus. I hope Valerie's 9 tips for creating a habit of prayer help you develop a more comfortable, more natural prayer life.

PIN ME!

9 Tips for Creating a Habit of Prayer