Noteworthy Distractions
Theme of the Week: Jumpstarting Sluggish Prayers
Thursday, November 5, 2009
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results (James 5:16). Bonus Reading: James 5:13-18
For a long time I had been disturbed about the problem of a wandering mind during my time of prayer.
I would be trying to pray and suddenly my mind would jump to a business appointment I needed to make or something else I had to do. For years I had forced these things out of my mind to get back to "spiritual things." But now, thanks to a suggestion from my friend, Donn Moomaw, I began to keep a notebook by my side; and when the thought came to me to call someone, to make an appointment, or to do something for the family, I would jot it down and then go back to God.
I was at last realizing that God is interested in my total life and that these things which came into my mind during my time of prayer might be significant things for me to do, or places for me to go. This also made it easier for me to get my mind immediately back to my other prayers.
Sometimes a vision of someone I resented would come floating into my prayers. Instead of trying my best to suppress it, I began to ask God to make my thoughts about this person more like his. Before I knew it, I discovered that God was touching more and more of my life through this time of prayer.
—Keith Miller in The Edge of Adventure
My Response: I will strive to include all aspects of my life in my prayers by …
Thought to Apply: I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is.—Charles Spurgeon (British preacher)
Adapted from The Edge of Adventure (WaterBrook, 2005)
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Dear Heavenly Father, help me to pray more consistently, more fervently, and more selflessly.
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