As I dusted the other day, I straightened a stack of old
story books. On top was one of our son’s favorites as a toddler—Tootle by
Gertrude Crampton. It is the tale of Tootle, a baby locomotive, who is
attending train school. His schoolwork includes tasks such as stopping at red
flags and pulling a dining car without spilling the soup. His most important
lesson is that he must stay on the rails.
One day when Tootle is chugging along, he hops off the
tracks to play in the meadow with a horse he sees there. He likes it so much he
makes a habit of it. His instructor, Bill finds out about Tootle’s escapades
and comes up with a plan to get the little engine back on the tracks. Bill
places red flags throughout the grasses. Red flags signal that a train must
stop—something engines never like to do. Tootle learns his lesson and at the
end of the book we see an older and wiser Tootle teaching some new locomotives about
staying on the rails.
Often during my prayer personal prayer time, I find myself
acting a lot like Tootle—getting off track. The slightest distraction can lure
me away from my time with Jesus. A stray thought can become my focus. The need
to plan for an upcoming event can wheedle its way into my prayers. A worry can
become a mantra instead of a prayer. At times getting reconnected with Jesus
feels like I am trying to wrestle the weight of a locomotive back on the
tracks.
As I researched ideas for staying on task during prayer, I
realized that most if not all Christians struggle with this problem. Sifting
through the many articles on the subject, I found several common suggestions to
help us keep our spiritual wheels on the prayer tracks:
Shut the door.
Find a quiet place and a quiet time—out of the hustle and bustle of the
household. Maybe it is while walking; perhaps it is in the bathtub. For you it
might be early morning while for someone else it may be after the rest of the household has
gone to bed.
Use ready-made
prayers as a guide. When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, He
gave them the Lord's Prayer. There is no harm in praying a pre-written prayer,
whether it's from the Bible or your favorite devotional. I personally like the
guided prayer times in SacredSpace.ie and Walk Thru the Bible’s “Quiet Walk”.
Read Scripture beforehand.
Reading scripture before your prayers, especially scripture about prayer, like
Philippians 4:6, Romans 8:26 or Ephesians 6:18, will remind you why you're
praying in the first place and motivate you to get the most out of your prayer
time.
Play music. For
me, quiet instrumental music helps me stay focused while at the same time opening
my mind to what God is saying and doing.
Speak. Praying
aloud reinforces that prayer is a conversation. Thinking and hearing prayers can keep us in dialogue
with God. I especially like to sing the praise portion of my prayers. For some
reason singing connects my heart to Jesus.
Journal. You can
either write as you're praying or wait until you're finished, then write a
summary of your experience as a reference for next time. Write without
restrictions—don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or structure. For some journaling takes the form of art,
sketching a little doodle that expresses what you are saying and hearing in
prayer.
How about you? Do you struggle to stay focused during prayer?
When your mind wanders, how do you get back on track? What are the “red flags”
that stop these errant thoughts and turn your heart back to the Lord?
Be encouraged!
Pam
