“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:16
I have always struggled to add deep, concentrated prayer to my day. While I admire those "warriors" who stick to it daily, I've always told myself I'm in a season where that just won't work for me. Whether that meant a heavy college load, planning a wedding, caring for multiple children, there is always an excuse not to pray. Family life and overflowing to-do lists crowd out any motivation to sit still - not to mention that time alone is hard to come by.
About a month ago, we got a six month old puppy. With his house training still on shaky ground, I am suddenly up early every morning to walk the dog in the woods and let him take care of business. On one of these walks, still in the dark, I realized how quickly and consistently I had changed my morning routine, simply because of something I had deemed "a necessity."
Why don't I treat prayer like that? If I decided it was "necessary" enough, I would block the time for it daily, like I do everything else that we need for survival. I'm sure such a mind shift will allow me to partake in wonderful things through the power of consistent prayer.