What prevents you from praying? Is it a conglomeration of life’s nominal demands of working, parenting, cleaning, budgeting, studying, etc. (see the last paragraph for help)? Do you have a willing spirit but a wandering mind regarding prayer?  Whether it is our dutiful performance or drifting thoughts, many different aspects of life distract us from exemplifying consistency in our prayer lives. However, there is One who stands out from among the distractions like the sun’s rays among a vast canopy of lofty clouds. He sweetly beckons us to come to Him in prayer. He provides Himself as the motivation to say no to distractions and yes to communing with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Communion with the Trinity 

The Second London Baptist Confession states:

In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on Him.

  -Second London Baptist Confession, 2.3, Of God and the Holy Trinity

It is the last line of this doctrinally rich confession that must motivate the people of God in prayer. Note the confession states that the “doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God.” English Puritan Thomas Watson brings this line of the confession vibrantly to life when he writes, “Three things may give us boldness in prayer. We have a Father to pray to, and the Spirit to help us pray, and an Advocate to present our prayers” [1]. Therefore, prayer is nothing less than communing with all three persons of the Trinity (see WLC Q9).

I ask again, what prevents you from praying? I assure you that no duty in this life exceeds the great worth of communing with the Triune God. Yet when we go hours, days, and weeks without praying, we are not simply failing in a spiritual discipline, we are stiff-arming the God who created us, the God who redeemed us, and the God who indwells us for something far inferior. What in your life is better than spending time with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? Nothing. Nothing is sweeter than communion with God, and consciously confessing your comfortable dependence on Him.

Practical Help

When I silently pray, my thoughts wander. Somehow, I begin at the throne of grace and end thinking about a thick stack of syrup-soaked pancakes. For this reason, I write my prayers in a prayer journal. There are at least two benefits to this method. First is that I am overall less distracted when I write. I can move from thought to thought and bring each one to the Father for His delight. Rarely do I find myself daydreaming of the breakfast buffet when I write my prayers down. Secondly, by God’s grace, I now have hundreds and hundreds of prayers written down. These prayers provide me with ample opportunity to look back and see God’s faithfulness in my life. Every stroke of the pen stands as a testimony of God’s love, mercy, grace, and patience with me. This unintended consequence is a marvelous blessing to me, even when my prayer requests from five years ago never really turned out according to my will, His will was done for my good and His glory (Luke 11:2; Romans 8:28).

The last bit of advice for the reader is to incorporate prayer throughout all of life. Previously, I listed the following daily demands: working, parenting, cleaning, budgeting, and studying. Instead of viewing these demands in dichotomy with prayer, just pray as you execute each task. Get your prayer journal out at work and commune with the Trinity over lunch. Teach your children to pray; pray with them in the morning, before meals, and at night. When you clean your house, pray for God to clean your heart (Psalm 51:10; Luke 11:4). When you sit down to review your finances, begin with prayers of thanksgiving for your daily bread and the health to eat it (Luke 11:3). When you budget for your groceries, pray for the salvation of the cashier at the grocery store. Pray for God to grant you wisdom as you budget your money for his glory. And lastly, as you study, take a five-to-ten-minute break each hour to intercede for your family, friends, pastors, classmates, and professors. These examples align with Paul’s command to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). May peace be your portion as you commune with the Triune God.

God is faithful.

Notes:

[1] Thomas Watson, The Lord’s Prayer (East Peoria, IL: Versa Press, 1965), 16.