A Simple Prayer

It is my habit each morning to spend time in prayer and study. I frame my time “praying the Psalms,” using the “Liturgy of the Hours” form of prayer that has grounded Benedictine Monasteries for over sixteen hundred years.

Five years ago, I added the practice of reading through the Bible in a year to compliment “praying the Psalms.” This practice provides a First Testament reading, Epistle reading, and a Gospel reading every day.

I conclude by reading something, a chapter of a book or an article that challenges me to go deeper in my faith and in my relationship with God, then, I pray for you. Most mornings, my life circumstance grants me this undisturbed time with God. It is a blessing to have this kind of time.

Not everyone is so blessed, but life has taught me the vital importance of undisturbed time with God each day. It doesn’t have to be more than five minutes. It just needs to be you and God time. 

When my parents were living, they lived in Florida after retirement. I found that brief phone calls, five to ten minutes in length, several times a week, kept them near. I could feel their love, draw upon their wisdom, and feel their encouragement across the miles all because the brief, yet regular phone calls kept them in near in mind and heart.

A consistent time of prayer, however brief, works the same way with God. Like the calls that remind us of a parent’s love, through prayer, we are constantly aware that God’s love, wisdom, and encouragement to live life the Jesus way is with us. We know it’s there and can draw upon it all because of the consistency and discipline of undisturbed time in God’s presence. 

So, if you are struggling to find some undisturbed time with God in your day, let me make a suggestion. Find a consistent time in your day, just a couple of minutes, to quiet yourself. Then pray this prayer, “God, make me a blessing to someone today.” Repeat it several times and actually mean it. 

Then, be prepared. God will not disappoint you. That person will cross your path. Maybe more than one. You just have to be the blessing that person needs by being the person you are. A kind word, a helping hand, a timely smile, any gesture of kindness, it doesn’t matter what. It’s the intentionality of being a blessing to another, a recognition of answered prayer, that makes you more aware of God’s presence. As a result, God becomes more real, more present throughout the day in each act of blessing. It also opens the door for the one you have blessed to feel the presence of God through you.

Please, give it try for a couple of weeks.

God bless!

Greg