Pray God Daily

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:5-6

I make a point to pray every day to start the day.

I am not perfect in this practice, and certainly not as diligent as I want to be, but on any day where I must confront the world, I turn first to God in prayer.

Am I holy and righteous for doing this? Not necessarily. I might not even be doing it correctly. Unlike the instruction in Matthew I go out on my porch and pray out loud. There is nothing at all “secret” about my daily prayer ritual.

Strike umpteen gajillion against me? Maybe.

Pulling back the veil so far as to discuss my daily prayer ritual here might even be strike umpteen gajillion and one against me.

Or it might not.

Strike or no strike, sin or no sin, it remains a fair question why I am even mentioning this.

The most honest answer is “I am not really sure.” The rationalizing answer is that I think I have something to say about prayer. (Me having something to say about anything…what are the odds?)

My daily prayer ritual is not a secret I hide away from the world. It is what I do, neither more nor less. More importantly, it is what I do.

It is personal. It is for me, and not for anyone else. It is a moment where I stop everything and strive to focus my mind entirely on God.

That is a challenge. Pushing out all other thoughts and focusing just on the prayer itself is not easy. Random thoughts are always popping in and out like unwanted guests.

It is also a discipline. As with so many things in this world, to become adept at prayer one must pray regularly. Not for nothing do people often refer to their spiritual habits as “practice”. If we do not practice praying, we might find it awkward and difficult in those moments of crisis when it is most needed.

It is also a therapy. Putting my focus on God at the start of the day, even fitfully, helps remind me throughout the day that following God is what matters. Doing the right thing is what matters—not whatever emotional turmoil or anxiety I might face during the day, nor any sense of overweening pride (I am told I do arrogant and cocky quite well!).

What absolutely does not matter is what other people might think of me.

Taking a moment to focus on God as a daily habit makes remembering that just a little bit easier. Taking a moment to focus on God as a daily habit makes the anxiety a little bit less, the emotions a little bit more manageable. Taking a moment to focus on God as a daily habit makes the day a little more peaceful, no matter what might happen.

Which is not to say I always do the right thing. I don’t. Not only am I not perfect I am not even close. When obstacles emerge in front of me I do not always handle them as well as I could, and certainly not as well as I should.

Still, with a little bit of luck and a whole lot of God’s grace with each passing day I hopefully screw up a little bit less. I get a little less angry, a little less judgmental—and a lot more at peace with myself and with the world. I handle the obstacles a little more rationally, a little more graciously, and a little less emotionally.

I like to think that constitutes progress.

That, I am learning, is the real power of prayer. Prayer is not a magical incantation we recite to bend the world to our will, but a spiritual and mental exercise by which we can slowly reprogram our hearts and minds into hopefully a better version of ourselves.

At least, that is how I like to perceive myself when I pray—reaching for a better version of myself, reaching out to God that He might gift me a better version of myself.

All of us are called to do the right thing each and every day. All of us are called to follow God’s Law each and every day. There is no moment during any day where we are not so called. There is no trauma, no anxiety, no distraction which negates the call.

That is an easy thing to say. As with most things surrounding faith, it is not at all easy to remember the call in the moment, and it is even less easy to answer the call in the moment.

Remembering the call, and answering the call, takes practice. It takes diligence. It takes discipline.

Which is to say….it takes prayer!

By praying God daily, the habit of prayer is cultivated.

By praying God daily, the habit of mindfulness of God is cultivated.

By praying God daily, the habit of making God the priority is cultivated.

I have found these habits make organizing daily life just a little bit easier. They make the world a little less chaotic and a little less exhausting. Given the amount of chaos in the world, that is no small blessing!

With prayer, each day I turn my mind towards God. With prayer, each day I receive a blessing of peace from God.

Prayer is therefore something I do for me. Prayer is for me and for God, not for the world.

And so I pray every day. I pray to turn my mind towards God. I pray to receive the blessing of peace from God. I pray so that God can be a guide for me throughout the day, making the day’s challenges just a little easier to sort.

And I would encourage you to pray every day. Pray to turn your mind towards God. Pray to receive the blessing of peace from God. Pray and let God be a guide for you throughout the day, that the day’s challenges might be a little easier for you to sort.

With prayer, we turn our minds towards God. With prayer, we receive a blessing of peace from God. With prayer, we put the world aside to focus on what truly matters, which is always God.

That is a good practice, and a good habit to have every day.