Ask anyone what their prayer life is like, and they will probably respond with a sentence that has the word “should” or “ought” or “could” in it somewhere.
“I should probably spend more time in prayer.”
“I probably ought to do better about spending time with God.”
“I could definitely pray more regularly.”
So I’m here today to tell you seven easy steps to praying like a champ . . . just kidding. That’s what TV preachers are for. Quite frankly, I still struggle to fully understand the complexities of prayer, but I do think I recently had a small breakthrough in the way I see it.
The insight came while I was driving my car and I began saying a prayer in between putting on my blinker and taking a left into the grocery store parking lot. Actually, I don’t even know if it’s fair to say that I actually said a prayer. I was definitely talking out loud to God, but I had that sound in my voice like someone who’s on the phone talking to you, but you can tell they’re watching TV at the same time.
Regardless, as I drove and somewhat absentmindedly talked to God about something that was bothering me, the thought came to my mind, “You know you really should/ought to/could do a lot better at this prayer thing. I mean, is this the best you can do? You’re just going to burp up a little shout out to Jesus while you’re driving? Seriously, you’re probably not doing much better than talking to yourself.”
These thoughts did not inspire me to continue talking to God as I looked for parking, so I decided to just stop trying to pray until I could find time to pray a real prayer.
And then I remembered the scripture, “Pray without ceasing,” (1 Thess. 5:17) which I take to mean that our hearts should be in non-stop communion with God.
“Hold up,” I thought, “if I’m supposed to pray without ceasing, then prayer is going to have to happen in the middle of every day life, like when I’m trying to find a parking spot.
“Distraction is just going to be part of the package sometimes when I’m in the midst of non-stop communion with God.”
That day, as I looked for a place to stop the car, I felt the confidence to go ahead and pray while driving in the grocery store parking lot.
These thoughts about prayer in the midst of the practicalities of life brought me back to a peculiar conversation I had with a very serious, older gentleman I knew back in college. We were talking about the presence of God, and the man quite earnestly said to me, “Oh, I know that God is always with me – except when I’m in the bathroom, of course.”
I never fully understood that man’s reason for believing God’s abiding presence does not extend into bathrooms, but after I took the time to reflect on the idea that the prayer to God should never cease, I thought, “Hey, forget parking, next time I’m in the bathroom, unlike my friend from college, I can boldly pray there too.”
Believe me, I’m certain that getting still and reverent before the Lord will most certainly draw us closer to His thoughts and His heart. I know this based on experience, though I oddly find myself avoiding the pursuit of quieter moments like these.
Nonetheless, thanks to the command to “pray without ceasing,” I parked my car that day knowing, like I had never known before, that God just wants to be with us, in the middle of it all, wherever we are – even in the bathroom and despite our resistance to quieting ourselves before Him.
Welcome to our messy lives, Lord.
Joshua Rogers 
So true, Joshua! Thanks for sharing your insightful thoughts. This morning I was reading through my favorite little devotional book, Jesus Calling, and the theme from today's entry was strikingly similar to your blog post. So, I thought I'd share an excerpt: "It's all right to be human. When your mind wanders while you are praying, don't be surprised or upset. Simply return your attention to Me. Share a secret with Me, knowing that I understand. Rejoice in My love for you, which has no limits or conditions. Whisper My Name in loving contentment, assured that I will never leave you or forsake you. Intersperse these peaceful interludes abundantly throughout your day. This practice will enable you to attain a quiet and gentle spirit, which is pleasing to Me.As you live in close contact with Me, the light of My Presence filters through you to bless others. Your weakness and woundedness are the openings through which the Light of the knowledge of My Glory shines forth. My strength and power show themselves most effective in your weakness."
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Actually, my friend Phillip always tells me that his prayer time is when he is in the bathroom.
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Great post Joshua! Thanks:) I actually am laughing because when I'm brushing my teeth or otherwise in the bathroom that is when God often speaks to me. It is when my mind is quiet, and I'm doing some mechanical thing requiring little concentration that space opens up in my head for God to enter. The number of clarifying 'ah-ha's' that have happened while brushing my teeth are beyond count now, resolving whatever was tied up in my head. I think for me it's hard to take that other quiet time because it involves surrender, letting go of control, and we don't like that, being vulnerable. Often in those deliberate 'quiet times' I find that I am doing a lot of the thinking, talking, reading, etc., still trying to maintain some sense of control when surrender, we are told, is the path to freedom in Christ.
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