Making Time for God in Prayer

By Charlotte Phillips

As we reach the end of another year, many of us have begun to think about our new year resolutions. Exercising more, making better food choices and less screen time seem to regularly be at the top of everyone’s list. For anyone looking to make more time for God in prayer in 2022, here are a few suggestions.

1. Choose your prayer material. If you are an everyday pray-er or a sometimes pray-er, it is helpful to have something to aid in prayer. My go-to prayer materials are “Give Us This Day” or my phone pulled up to the daily readings found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website (https://bible.usccb.org). There are also several different prayer apps or even SoundCloud that offer audio guided prayers.
2. Set your prayer scene. What else do you need to help settle into prayer? Many find it helpful to have a candle to light, music, religious images nearby or even photos of family members. I always bring my journal to pray, even if I don’t use it every time.
3. Schedule a time for prayer. Our lives are busy! Scheduling a set time for daily prayer helps to actually do it every day. If you are just starting out with a daily prayer practice, set realistic expectations for yourself. Do you have a long commute to work in the morning? Do you sit in a long carpool line in the afternoon? Are you sitting and waiting for ballet or football practice to end? Take five to 10 minutes during that time to pray.
4. Don’t worry if you miss a day. God loves us and wants nothing more than to spend time with us! If you miss a day in prayer, don’t let guilt keep you from praying the next day. God is always ready for us; we just have to make time for God.