“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is a verse that makes me squirm!
Being still for any reason just doesn’t come that easy to me. My ‘inner clock’ usually ticks pretty fast and my mind and body are most often in perpetual motion! It seems I always have something to do, somewhere to go, something to plan or prepare for and a never ending list of things to remember! Even when I do stop to rest for a little while, I’m like a cat that suddenly has to be in another room for no apparent reason! It’s what my mother used to call “hyper” as she would place a firm hand on my bouncing legs and say, “Sit!”
I’m familiar with ‘hyper’. Not only have I lived with myself these many years, I’ve been a special needs teacher for more than 25 years. It has a more scientific label now – ADD* or ADHD*, but it essentially means a person who has great difficulty focusing their attention for any length of time and being…well…still! (Have you heard the one that goes like this: “How many kids with ADD does it take to screw in a light bulb? Wanna go ride bikes?”)
Although I have learned to be still and pay attention during most situations where it’s appropriate to do so, one area of my life that I have to really work at staying focused is during my prayer times. Despite my best intentions, my mind wanders and my prayers come out as a jumbled ‘mish-mash’ of praise, problems and requests. Worse yet is when one minute I’m praying intently for a wayward teen and the next minute I’m wondering what color I should repaint the bathroom! I am definitely an “ADHD Pray – er”!
We all know how important it is to spend time in prayer. We’re admonished to pray intently, continually and in every situation. We also know how clearly the bible speaks about ‘waiting quietly before Lord’ and being still so we can hear Him speak. So, what’s an “ADHD Pray – er” to do when she can barely last 5 minutes before her mind (or feet!) are racing somewhere else?
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* Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The following is a list of ways to help you to become more focused as you pray, but it is more of a long term ‘training process’ than it is a ‘quick fix’. Remember, God is also familiar with ADHD, and although it must disappoint or at times even anger Him when we won’t be still or give Him our full attention, He knows our weakness and waits patiently for us.
1. Choose to pray at a time of the day when then you are least likely to be distracted. This may mean rising earlier than the rest of your family, going for a walk alone during your lunch hour instead of out with your co-workers, or even locking yourself in the bathroom with the fan on late at night!
2. Find a place of solitude and quiet to pray. Some of you will have to work really hard at this one, particularly if you have very young children. You may need to have a family meeting to clearly but kindly tell everyone that when you are in your ‘prayer closet’ you are not to be disturbed unless someone is bleeding or has stopped breathing. If they continue to interrupt you, you will need to firmly say something like: “You are not bleeding and you are obviously still breathing, so I will not be able to help you for another 10 minutes. However, since you have interrupted me, it will now take me 15 minutes to finish my conversation with God.”
3. Make a rotating list of prayer requests. A small scribbler or journal divided into 5 – 7 days will help keep your mind on the needs of a few different people and requests each day. Your prayers will be more specific and thoughtful and you will be less prone to getting bored by praying for the same thing every day in rapid fire so you don’t miss something.
4. Put key words on sticky notes and post a few in visible areas. Use words like: ‘Faithfulness’, ‘Compassion’, ‘Humility’, ‘Patience’ and as you pass these words pray for those attributes to be evident in the circumstances of your life and in the lives of people around you. The word ‘Salvation’ will remind you to pray for unsaved family, friends and neighbors, ‘Suffering’ will remind you to pray for the sick or troubled and so on.
5. Use a prayer pattern to guide you. Some of the more popular ones are: “ACTS”, “AWCIPA”1. (Admire God, Wait, Confess any sin, Intercede for others, Pray for yourself, Admire God some more). These tools help to keep you from darting all over in your thoughts and will help you to remember what God desires to hear from us.
- Sandy Semenyna, BGCC WM Prayer Coordinator
1. Miles McPherson in “21 Jump Start”
