One of the most common questions people ask me in regards to prayer is “How do I handle distractions?” There are times when, in the middle of praying, we find that our minds has wandered. It happens to me. Sometimes I find that I’m thinking about something related to my prayers (which can be good) and sometimes it feels totally random (which can be annoying). Sometimes it’s almost like my brain goes down a YouTube rabbit trail, loses track of time and focus, and before I know it is watching outtakes from Family Ties from 1985. See? Totally random!
What do we do when we find ourselves distracted in our prayer time? Well, through the years and having dealt with tons of distractions I’ve found a few hacks that might be helpful for you too.
1.) Do not let distractions lead to discouragement. We all get distracted sometimes in prayer. During some seasons in our lives, perhaps during times of high emotions, distractions can seem worse. Do not let the fact you get distracted lead you to discouragement or deter you from praying. As feeble and unfocused as our prayers may be, they please God. Luckily our Lord knows our hearts and the Spirit intercedes for us, as does Jesus (Romans 8:27, Hebrews 7:25). That’s your prayer circle! Do your best and leave it with God. Don’t be discouraged and don’t quit praying.
2.) Recognize that not all distracting thoughts are the same. I categorize distracting thoughts into three types. The first type are the kind of distracting thoughts we all seek to avoid. They are random and lead us away from focus on prayer. Let’s call them “RandomThoughts”. The second type consists of valid thoughts about things that need to be done. These are good things you remember you need to do, but you’re remembering them at an inopportune time. Let’s call them “To-Do Thoughts”. The third type are often mis-identified as random, but are in fact the Spirit’s promptings. Let’s call these “Prompting Thoughts”. When we realize that not all our distracting thoughts are incompatible with our prayers, we then must learn to sort them.
3.) Triage your distractions. Let’s say you’re praying the Daily Office early in the morning. You are likely fighting some brain fog and are also subconsciously aware of all you have to do today. So as you’re praying you get distracted by the thought that you have to pack Timmy’s lunch when you’re done praying. Add to this the further distraction of trying to tell yourself that you must remember to pack that lunch and you worry you’ll forget. So the distracting thought compounds. This “To-Do Thought” is a valid reminder, but is coming to your mind at an inconvenient time. Let’s say that your prayer time involves Bible Reading and somehow reading about Jesus’ healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Matthew 8) reminds you of your friend at Church that is battling cancer. You pray for her and sense you should call her. That’s likely a prompting of the Holy Spirit. That’s a “good distraction”. The best way I’ve found to deal with these two types of distracting thoughts (which are of a “good” type) is to keep a notebook handy. When I sense a “To-Do” or a “Prompting Thought”, I write them down. That way I capture them and I don’t have to try and remember them. It means I can let these thoughts “go” from my mind and focus again on my prayers. Learning to triage, to sort through your distractions, will become easier the more you do it.
4.) Random Distractions must be ignored or prayerfully rejected. There are a couple of ways to do this. If you are praying and you find your mind wandering due to Random thoughts, press pause for a moment on your prayers. Say a short prayer against the random thoughts. For me, it comes out like this, “Lord, I’m sorry. I got distracted. Help me to focus on you and on this time we have together.” I then back up and repeat the prayer where I lost my focus. If I’m half way through the Lord’s Prayer when it happens, I pause. I ask God to help me focus and I restart the Lord’s Prayer. Even though I have that prayer memorized, when I repeat the prayer I read the words on the page very deliberately and that helps squash the random distractions. Sometimes this happens several times in a single time of prayer. Depending on the day and how bad your distractions are, you may have to repeat this process.
SUMMARY
Everyone I know who has sought to have a more active and vibrant prayer life has dealt with distracting thoughts. Please know you are not alone and this is a common challenge. Remember:
+ Don’t let distractions discourage you or deter you from praying. Pray through the distractions.
+ Ask yourself “What kind of distraction is this?” Is it a “Random Thought”, a “To-Do Thought” or a “Prompting Thought”
+ If it is a “To-Do” or a “Prompting Thought” then jot it down in your notebook. Let the thought go and resume your prayers.
+ If it is a “Random Thought” then pause your prayers and pray for better focus. Resume your prayers. Repeat as needed.
Be encouraged and keep on praying!