My Prayer Distractions

As is my usual routine, I woke up early this morning, made some coffee, read a couple of chapters in my Bible, and then set out for a walk—hoping to spend some quiet time in prayer with the Lord. My intentions were strong, and my expectations were high. But as soon as I stepped outside into the cold, still morning, my mind became more of a marketplace than a sanctuary.

First, I noticed the leaves that still needed raking, which somehow led me to think about needing gas for the chainsaw to cut firewood (don’t ask me how that connection happened). Then, I remembered I should order gravel for the driveway. Just as I was finally getting to the “Good morning, Lord” part of my prayer, it hit me—I needed to send out our monthly update, start preparing sermons for my trip to Cameroon, apologize to my daughter for eating the chocolate candies she left on the counter, make some phone calls, and, of course, clean up the dog poop in the front yard. Talk about distractions.

The good news? I eventually set those thoughts aside and spent some time in prayer. But it was a battle to keep my focus on the Lord instead of my endless to-do list. Even as I walked another mile or two, trying to pray for my family, friends, and ministry, my mind kept drifting—to finances, relationships, personal struggles, and a mix of both important and trivial thoughts.

By the time I finished my walk and stepped back inside, I wondered if my so-called “prayer walk” had even been worthwhile. I considered heading back out to try again, this time with a more disciplined approach. But then it dawned on me—distractions are part of life.  In fact, sometimes they are life.  And since life is what we pray about, maybe distractions aren’t interruptions to prayer at all. Maybe they’re prayer requests in disguise—things God actually wants me to talk to Him about.

When I have conversations with my wife, they don’t become more meaningful just because I show up with a list and an agenda. Often, the best conversations happen when we talk about all the things that interrupted our plans and derailed our schedules. Maybe prayer is the same way. Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) and to bring everything to God in prayer (Phil. 4:6). How could we possibly do that without including our distractions?

So, I didn't go back out on the road to "re-pray" my prayers. I simply thanked the Lord for listening to me as I talked to Him and for listening in on me as I talked to myself. Then I committed all my distractions to Him.