In no particular order another six friends throw their two cents in about daily time spent in the Word and prayer.
The first of a pair of BFFs (seriously they are like two peas in a pod) said that she liked to read just before bed. Something that has helped her focus on God was referring to scripture when she wrote. Did I mention she’s a fellow writer? She also spoke of her desire to start memorizing scripture again.
The second BFF responded said that when she was younger she kept a Bible beside her bed and read a chapter a night. Now, she does a morning routine, reading her Bible and doing morning meditation at the breakfast table. She raised an interesting point—she does not mandate a time limit. Her focus has been on concentration. Three minutes of undivided attention to the Word can often be enough, rather than sitting there for a prescribed time when her mind might wander.
I like her thoughts on prayer: “anytime and often”. I can hear her voice in my head saying both words with emphasis. Both friends stressed the importance of a “closet” to shut the door on, isolate yourself and pray, be it a spare room or bathroom. Hmm. There’s that bathroom idea again. I thought only guys read in the bathroom. Maybe they’re onto something…
One of the most unique answers for prayer time came from a family friend who says it’s an easy question to answer. She prays and focuses on God while she exercises, instead of focusing on how much she’s sweating.
One of my friends from choir joined the flock of folks who do their daily quiet time in the morning before breakfast. She thinks of Bible reading and prayer time as spiritual food, which is a very good way to look at it. It’s the nourishment for your soul.
The last two friends to mention couldn’t be more different. One has several small children and a very busy day time, so she does devotions after midnight. She is yet another person who mentioned having devotional books in bathroom. She also keeps her Bible by her bed to read. She listens to Christian stations in the car, when she has a chance. Sometimes she is just quiet and prays while driving.
If after midnight seems extremely late for some of you, another friend does his in the morning during just as work is getting started. There’s a natural break at the beginning and he takes advantage of the time to be with God. When he had to be up in the early am for work, he did his devotion time in the evening. He raved about the pros of journaling as a way of prayer and working out thoughts. The item that stuck out to me was his thought to be honest with God when not wanting to be in the Word or pray. My friend has a point that God already knows our hearts and minds. God is looking for us to be real with Him. My friend also said, “do it anyway”.
Well, that’s it for the majority of responses I got back. It was wonderful to get everyone’s ideas and hear about their times with God and the Bible and prayer.
Now, time to synthesize my plans. What will I do to stay in the Word? How will I focus my thoughts to prayer? I’ll post my ideas tomorrow.
The first of a pair of BFFs (seriously they are like two peas in a pod) said that she liked to read just before bed. Something that has helped her focus on God was referring to scripture when she wrote. Did I mention she’s a fellow writer? She also spoke of her desire to start memorizing scripture again.
The second BFF responded said that when she was younger she kept a Bible beside her bed and read a chapter a night. Now, she does a morning routine, reading her Bible and doing morning meditation at the breakfast table. She raised an interesting point—she does not mandate a time limit. Her focus has been on concentration. Three minutes of undivided attention to the Word can often be enough, rather than sitting there for a prescribed time when her mind might wander.
I like her thoughts on prayer: “anytime and often”. I can hear her voice in my head saying both words with emphasis. Both friends stressed the importance of a “closet” to shut the door on, isolate yourself and pray, be it a spare room or bathroom. Hmm. There’s that bathroom idea again. I thought only guys read in the bathroom. Maybe they’re onto something…
One of the most unique answers for prayer time came from a family friend who says it’s an easy question to answer. She prays and focuses on God while she exercises, instead of focusing on how much she’s sweating.
One of my friends from choir joined the flock of folks who do their daily quiet time in the morning before breakfast. She thinks of Bible reading and prayer time as spiritual food, which is a very good way to look at it. It’s the nourishment for your soul.
The last two friends to mention couldn’t be more different. One has several small children and a very busy day time, so she does devotions after midnight. She is yet another person who mentioned having devotional books in bathroom. She also keeps her Bible by her bed to read. She listens to Christian stations in the car, when she has a chance. Sometimes she is just quiet and prays while driving.
If after midnight seems extremely late for some of you, another friend does his in the morning during just as work is getting started. There’s a natural break at the beginning and he takes advantage of the time to be with God. When he had to be up in the early am for work, he did his devotion time in the evening. He raved about the pros of journaling as a way of prayer and working out thoughts. The item that stuck out to me was his thought to be honest with God when not wanting to be in the Word or pray. My friend has a point that God already knows our hearts and minds. God is looking for us to be real with Him. My friend also said, “do it anyway”.
Well, that’s it for the majority of responses I got back. It was wonderful to get everyone’s ideas and hear about their times with God and the Bible and prayer.
Now, time to synthesize my plans. What will I do to stay in the Word? How will I focus my thoughts to prayer? I’ll post my ideas tomorrow.
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