Finding Excuses Not to Pray

I have found that with lots of dedication and a little bit of creativity, I have still managed to find three to four hours each day for prayer and meditation.

Years ago, I was having a conversation with a group of friends who also happened to be ministers in the Lord. I recall mentioning to the group that I was spending about two hours each day in prayer (I had a good prayer season several years ago that lasted a while before reverting back to old ungodly patterns). I recall them responding with some apprehension. Some retorted that the reason I was able to spend that much time in prayer was simply because I was a single man and I had neither a wife nor any children. Their reasoning made a lot of sense to me–I could surely afford to spend more time with the Lord simply because of fewer responsibilities in life. I thought their response was a fair one at the time.

I now wonder if their response was more of an excuse to not work harder at having ample times of deep prayer with the Lord. I say this because today, I have a wife and a young son. I wear multiple professional hats. I have plenty of daily responsibilities. And yet, I have found that with lots of dedication and a little bit of creativity, I have still managed to find three to four hours each day for prayer and meditation. Now of course, I understand that not every person’s situation is the same. I’m sure there are those with challenging circumstances that require more of their time and energy. But that’s usually the exception rather than the norm. I can’t help but wonder if some of us are simply finding excuses not to pray (and to pray amply and deeply) instead of thoughtfully and creatively finding ways to be able to have the appropriate amounts of time with the Lord, which is what our souls really need each day.

I’m not one to “prayer shame” anybody. I don’t judge anyone and their walk with the Lord. We each have our relationships with God and we will each give a personal account of our time here on earth. But I do hope to encourage us to believe that we can do a little more, dive a little deeper, and go a little further in our prayer lives for the sake of our relationship with Christ and our service unto Him.

Barnabas the Monastic

Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.