Finding Time for Prayer

I used to think that it must have been easier in Biblical times to squeeze in time for prayer. But when you think about it, some of the cities were busy trading hubs, caravans of merchants coming and going all the time, and centers of political empires. These people were certainly busier than I am because they also lacked modern time-saving conveniences. Once I decided that being busy had nothing to do with finding time for prayer, I stopped finding excuses and started finding time.

Sometimes I pray in a parking lot while I’m finishing errands and heading back home. Other times, I manage some prayers when doing routine tasks during the day. Sometimes, when I am waiting in line at the Post Office, store, or waiting room, I can relax and concentrate for a few minutes on a prayer or two. Often, at a stop light in traffic, I say a quick prayer for a careless driver I might have noticed, or for the people in a natural disaster I might have just heard about on the car radio.

I was amazed at how many little chunks of time I found, once I started looking for them. The secret is in seeing the chance to pray and avoiding worrying about how long I can or cannot pray. The buzz words, “quality time” take on a whole new meaning when applied to short prayer sessions.

Dear God, help me to always remember that you are there to listen whenever I have a moment to talk to you.