Why I don't pray as much as I should: Waiting for the perfect moment

Do you ever put off personal prayer because something is not quite perfect about this moment? Maybe a better opportunity will come along later? Yeah? Me, too.

Let’s stop doing that.

I think one of the subtle dissuasions that affects my prayer life is an unnecessary examination of “Is this the right time?” IT’S ALWAYS THE RIGHT TIME! Especially early in the day (if possible), like when you first wake up, or sitting on the subway on the way to school or work.

Why do we procrastinate? Is it a strange logic of wanting to give God a time when we have better focus? We can go to God with distraction! We can speak to Him about our distractions. We can pray about these distractions. Maybe we are even supposed to pray about them.

The thing is, we will always find reasons not to pray. There are always things we can think about instead of praying. What will I wear today? Are my grades up yet? Will the Leafs make the playoffs this year? ________ (Insert your own desperate question here.)

But prayer is really the most important thing we can do with our time, and it can bring light to all of those other things we can’t seem to stop thinking over. It can put the whole day in a different light, and bring a perspective to our activities and thoughts that we wouldn’t otherwise have.

Crucially, it brings to mind the fact that we don’t have handle any of these things on our own. It allows us to allow God to be an Actor in our lives.

Stop waiting for the perfect moment.

My first spiritual director used to remind me of an axiom that went: “The best is the enemy of the good.” It took me a few moments to catch it, but it means that waiting for the “best” moment prevents us from utilizing a “good” moment, which is right now. In the end, we may lose the good thing altogether because we were waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Opportunity knocks now. Answer it.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20)

This post is part of a series on barriers in a prayer life. Let's run the race and overcome these hurdles together.