Margaret is a Faithful Finish Lines 2.0 member and Finisher who loves to read and write when she is not teaching. She lived overseas for a number of years and now resides in the Midwest where she serves the community by teaching English as a Second Language.
Learn how to develop a consistent prayer life with 7 simple steps that fit into your daily routine and help you connect more deeply with your faith.
If someone were to ask you how your prayer life is, how would you respond to that question? Most believers would probably say they wish they had better prayer habits and devotional practices, or that their prayer and devotional life was more consistent.
After all, the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing while giving thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
Consistency in anything — let alone prayer — is not easy, however, when life is so busy and face-paced, but that makes prayer all the more important and necessary because you need spiritual discipline and a strong connection with God to sustain you in your hectic life.
Consistent prayer is important because it is the best way to stay connected with God through regular communication. Being in communication with God will deepen your relationship with him so that you will be able to see more clearly what His will for you is, while also strengthening your faith and spiritual growth.
Regular, consistent prayer has mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. Devoting yourself to prayer can improve your mood and help you regain a positive outlook as you share your burdens with the Lord. It can help you reduce any feelings of fear or anxiety you might have.
Prayer is also a good way to express negative emotions such as anger or frustration. David in the Psalms often vented his anger at his enemies in prayers to God that turned to praise and thankfulness after sharing his feelings truthfully.
The spiritual benefits of building a prayer habit are many, including a closer relationship with God, a better understanding of His plans for your life, strengthening feelings of gratitude and peace, and a sense of God’s help and encouragement as you seek Him in daily prayer.
This article will cover the 7 actionable steps on how to develop a consistent prayer life. Those steps are as follows:
- setting clear intentions for your prayer life;
- establishing a regular prayer schedule;
- creating a dedicated prayer space;
- incorporating variety in prayer practices;
- maintaining a prayer journal;
- engaging with a prayer community;
- and reflecting and adapting your prayer life.
Are you seeking to deepen your spiritual journey and yearning for connection with God, while looking for practical ways to incorporate prayer into your daily life? If so, read on to learn how to develop a consistent prayer life with these 7 simple steps that fit into your daily routine and help you connect more deeply with your faith.
7 Steps on How to Develop a Consistent Prayer Life
Step 1: Set Clear Intentions for Your Prayer Life
Setting intentions when you pray involves choosing the direction and focus of your thoughts and prayers.
Intention setting often involves sharing with God those matters that are very personal and close to your heart, what your hopes are or specific aspects of your life you want to address or change.
If you can establish personal reasons for prayer, you will feel more connected and invested in what you are sharing with God. By setting intentions, you establish purpose and direction, making it easier to stay focused as you pray.
In the process of praying with intention, you are learning to trust God with what matters most to you, so you should seek to focus your prayers on things like guidance, gratitude, and offering up those things that cause anxiety as you learn to entrust them to God.
How to Set Intentions
Some examples of prayer intentions include prayers for health and safety for yourself and for your family, protection when traveling, prayers for a new job or for God’s help in your current job, wisdom for making a decision, prayers for conversion for people who need salvation, prayers for healing or for a miracle.
It might be helpful to write down the specific intentions you want to bring up in your prayers, as this will help you create focus and motivation. Writing down your intentions will give you a prayer list to follow to guide your prayers and help you not to forget something you want to be sure to bring before the Lord.
Step 2: Establish a Regular Prayer Schedule
While no specific time for prayer is mentioned in the Bible as the best time to pray, it is very important for you to find a specific time of day for prayer, whether it is in the morning, at lunchtime, or in the evening — or even all three if you find that helpful.
Setting a specific time of day allows for consistency and the forming of a good prayer habit, and it makes it easier to set it as a priority if it is at the same time every day.
Tips for Staying Consistent
There are all kinds of ways you can employ to create a realistic schedule for prayer to help you stay consistent. Here are a few practical tips:
- choose a time for prayer that is free of distractions and the best time for you to be able to focus;
- actually schedule your prayer time on your calendar so that it becomes a protected appointment with God that does not require decision-making on when to do it;
- use reminders to reinforce the habit of prayer, such as setting a recurring timer on your phone, or a recurring reminder on your calendar;
- pray when you are doing something else you regularly do at a certain time of day, like walking, exercising, washing the dishes, or driving to work;
- write names and requests on a calendar to pray on specific days for specific people;
- pray scripture during your Bible reading time, turning what you have just read into a prayer to God.
Step 3: Create a Dedicated Prayer Space
A designated space can really enhance your focus and mindfulness in prayer. Jesus had a certain place to pray which was solitary and private, and He serves as a model for you to have a specific, quiet place to be alone for prayer.
Matthew 6:6 is a passage in the New Testament that speaks of this solitary place for prayer, when Jesus says:
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
In today’s world it is difficult to get away from the hustle and bustle of life, but when you have a specific space set aside where you can withdraw for private prayer and focusing on the Lord, you can more easily tune out the noise of everyday life and set your mind and heart to meditation and prayer.
Ideas for Your Prayer Space
If you do not have a separate room you can use as a prayer space, you can designate a zone in an existing room as your prayer area. Set it up to be a calming spot where you can focus on meditation and prayer, and where you are free from distractions.
It helps to have meaningful items present in your prayer area that will help you focus your prayers. Candles, framed scripture passages, or other artwork that has spiritual significance to you are helpful for setting a contemplative mood.
If you have a list of intentions you want to pray over, these can be displayed in your prayer area as a point of focus.
You can also display other religious items that might be helpful to you in your prayers, like a cross, a crucifix, or Bibles, prayer books, and devotional books.
You may also want to keep a notebook and writing instruments nearby for journaling as you pray. Having a way to play music while you pray can also be inspiring and helpful for focus.
A peaceful and clutter-free prayer space that is conducive to quietness and calm will help you become mindful and more focused on prayer.
Step 4: Incorporate Variety in Prayer Practices
There are a number of different types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, which uses a variety of words to describe suggested prayer practices for believers.
For instance, 1 Timothy 2:1 uses 4 different words to talk about types of prayer all in the same passage:
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.
While you don’t have to use all the different prayer techniques in the same prayer session, it can be helpful to know what they are as part of learning to pray more effectively and keeping your prayer times interesting and fresh.
If you are wanting to add variety to your prayer life, try using one or more of the following types of prayer during your devotional time:
- Meditative prayers are when you focus on praying through a passage of Scripture and turn it into prayer. Prayer reflections and meditation involve listening to God along with praying your requests to Him, and allows for the Spirit to speak through the Word.
- Intercessory prayer is when you pray on behalf of others. You are interceding for them in your prayers, for God to act in their lives and lifting up to Him their needs and concerns.
- Prayers of supplication are prayers you make for yourself, on your own behalf. They can be prayers for guidance, forgiveness, or a request for God to provide something you need, both spiritual and material.
- Gratitude prayer is expressing gratitude for God’s blessings and thankfulness for answered prayer and God’s work in your life. Praying in gratitude is a great way of reminding yourself of God’s kept promises and reigniting hope that God hears your prayers and will answer.
- Adoration prayers are prayers of worship that praise God for who He is and what He has done in the world and in your life. Adoration often leads to prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving.
- Lament prayers are prayers that are an honest expression of your sorrows which you offer up to God. They can be sorrowful, angry, disappointed, confused — whatever is in your heart that you need to share with God to help you process your grief.
Resources for Learning
There are many books, apps, and websites that offer guidance on different prayer practices and which help with focusing your prayers or reminding you to pray. Here are some of my favorite prayer guides:
- Operation World — this is a published book and also a website for praying for the world and all the unreached people groups who have yet to hear the Good News. The website includes a list of prayer resources.
- How to Pray by C.S. Lewis (available on Amazon.com and also perhaps in your local library)
- Navigators 7 Ways to Pray: Time Tested Practices for Encountering God
- Cru’s How to Pray: A Beginner’s Guide
- 8 Prayer Books for Deepening Your Prayer Practice
- Lectio 365 — this is an app that will help you pray the Bible by meditating on the scriptures and asking God to speak through them.
- Echo — this is an app that is designed to help you integrate prayer into your daily routine
For more suggestions, try doing an internet search using the terms “guidance on different prayer practices” or “books and apps on prayer” or “best books on prayer” — you will find lots of good options to choose from!
Step 5: Maintain a Prayer Journal
One way to stay focused, consistent, and more effective with your prayers is to keep a prayer journal. A prayer journal is a place to record your conversations with God, writing things down that are on your heart and mind, and keeping track of how God answers.
Journaling your prayers can enhance your spiritual growth because you will be spending more time with Him as you pray and journal. It will help you stay focused on what you are praying, and it can help you remember prayer requests you have promised to pray for.
It is also great as a record of God’s faithfulness in answering your prayers and in your ability to share your needs with Him.
Writing down your prayers in your journal helps you notice patterns of recurring struggle or doubts; once you recognize a recurring pattern, you can also track how God is helping you deal with that issue.
Structuring Your Journal
Whether your prayer journal is a notebook, a binder of printed pages, or a digital journal, you will want to organize your entries in a way that makes sense to you.
An article by Proverbs 31 Mentor on how to start a prayer journal shares some pointers on the types of entries you may want in your journal:
- Daily prayers – have a place where you daily record your prayers, praise God for His faithfulness, and record daily gratitude.
- Prayer requests – keep a running list of the prayer requests you have and take note when God answers the prayer.
- Praises – celebrate God’s provision and how He worked on behalf of your requests.
- Worship -keep a list of reasons why you worship God (His salvation, grace at the cross, His faithful love of His children, His attributes, etc…)
- Encouraging Scriptures -having a list of your favorite Scriptures will help you renew your mind with God’s truth and cling to God’s promises when the hard times come.
Becky at SoVeryBlessed also shares a great resource entitled How to Start a Prayer Journal that also includes tips on organizing and getting in the habit of journaling.
For organizing, in addition to the above sections shared Proverbs 31 Mentor, she suggests including sections on daily reminders of your identity in Christ, the names and characteristics of God, and a space for an emotions check-in.
She also gives the following essential advice:
“If you are just starting out with prayer journaling, don’t overcomplicate things. Writing even one sentence a day can start a wonderful habit! Pick a few sections you’re most drawn to, start there, and add or take them away as you’d like.”
Step 6: Engage with a Prayer Community
Engaging with a prayer community is an important aspect of prayer because it provides support and accountability for your growth as a believer. Private prayer alone in your prayer closet is vital but community prayer is also essential for your encouragement.
Whether you participate in prayer meetings in person at your local church or in your small group, or you are part of an online group that prays for each other, you will be encouraged as you see God working in the lives of others and answering the prayers of the community.
You will be able to add your voice to their prayers, and share your needs with them for increased effectiveness in bringing requests before the Lord.
Sharing Experiences
Engaging with others can enhance your own commitment to prayer while also enriching your prayer experience and your faith practices.
More intimate fellowship takes place when people pray and share experiences together because they are unified in lifting one another up.
You also have the privilege and the blessing of providing the ministry of encouragement to others as you pray for them and with them.
Praying with others can also challenge you to pray for things you might not have thought to pray for, or for situations you might not have known about otherwise.
By participating in corporate prayer you can have a greater impact on your community and on the world because your prayers are being expanded.
Step 7: Reflect and Adapt Your Prayer Life
It is a good idea to assess your prayer habits periodically. This is where keeping a prayer journal might be helpful as you can look back and take note of answers to prayer and the types of prayers you listed, or how regularly you spent time in prayer and wrote it down in your journal.
Your prayer audit can be as simple as asking yourself, Did I pray today? If so, for how long?
On the other hand, your assessment can be a bit more in depth, such as you asking yourself how the time of day you pray is working for you — would another time be better with less distractions? What kinds of interruptions to prayer are you facing, and is there some way to limit those interruptions?
Are you using any prayer resources to supplement your prayer time? Do you need to try different ones? Is there some way you can vary your prayer time that would make it more interesting? Or do you need to spend more time focused on God’s Word, praying through Scripture?
Being Open to Change
The most important thing for you in establishing a vibrant prayer life is to be flexible and open to change when the prayer practices you are trying are not working for you.
Your prayer practices ought to be based on your own personal needs. While it is helpful to follow what others suggest for developing your prayer life, be sure it is something that fits your needs and works for you.
Flexibility means avoiding being rigid, as well as adapting your prayer routine so that it fits your situation, being willing to change the time, place, or posture to achieve a greater connection with God.
While having a plan and a routine for prayer is important, being flexible allows you to be more spontaneous and open to the Holy Spirit’s prompting.
FAQs on How to Develop a Consistent Prayer Life
What is the best time of day to pray?
Basically, any time of day is a good time to pray. As GotQuestions.org says in an article about prayer,
“While morning and evening prayers can be meaningful, there is no biblical requirement on when to pray, and there is no substitute for prayers that come from the heart… Prayer must not be relegated to just morning and evening, but we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). There is nothing wrong with praying a morning and evening prayer, but personalized prayer throughout the day is more important than ritual and liturgy.“
How long should I pray each day?
There is no set amount of time prescribed or recommended for prayer. The important thing is to say what you need to before God, even if it is just a few words.
GotQuestions.org says it this way: “The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing, or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home, or outside; in the morning or at night—these are all side issues, subject to personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.“
However, if you need some guidance, many find that half an hour daily spent in studying God’s word and in prayer is a good way to start forming a habit of prayer.
What if I feel distracted while praying?
Being distracted is normal, so don’t be hard on yourself if you realize your mind is wandering when praying. Acknowledge the distraction and try to refocus your mind on your prayer. It may help to include your distraction as a prayer to God for help to refocus yourself.
You can also try different prayer postures or ways of praying to keep things fresh and varied, which will help with being distracted.
Can prayer really improve my mental health?
Prayer can improve your mental health by relieving stress and anxiety as you give your worries over to God. It also helps provide a framework for processing how your life is going and where you are feeling a lack or a need. Most of all, it provides an important connection to God as you communicate with Him and are strengthened in a closer relationship with Him.
How can I pray if I don’t know what to say?
Not knowing what to say in prayer is actually addressed in the Bible, where it says in Romans 8:26:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
This is comforting, knowing the Holy Spirit is praying on your behalf even if you can’t put into words what you want to say. In addition, if you don’t know what to say in prayer, you can simply start by expressing your current feelings to God, or telling Him how much you want to connect to Him but you don’t know how.
You can also pray using Bible verses or telling God what you are thankful for. Often enough, once you get started, the words will come.
Take Action for a Consistent Prayer Life
We looked at 7 steps on how to develop a consistent prayer life — setting clear intentions for your prayer life, establishing a regular prayer schedule, creating a dedicated prayer space, incorporating variety in prayer practices, maintaining a prayer journal, engaging with a prayer community, and reflecting and adapting your prayer life.
I encourage you to implement these steps in order to develop a consistent prayer life.
The personal and spiritual rewards of maintaining a regular prayer practice are great, including a closer relationship with God, a better understanding of His plans for your life, strengthened feelings of gratitude and peace, and a sense of God’s help and encouragement as you seek Him in daily prayer.
“Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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