Prayer should be woven into our life in such a way that it’s as natural as breathing. We should be in the habit of taking everything to God, praying without ceasing.  But as life gets busy, sometimes prayer becomes less of a constant.  How can we reach for God during the craziness?  How do we pray through the chaos?

Repetition.  Forming a habit takes time, likely at least 2 months.  Consistently choosing to pray as things come up during the day will help prayer become a pattern or reflex.  Try linking prayer to different parts of your daily rhythm.  Pray while you’re drinking your morning coffee, washing dishes, driving to and from work, or taking an afternoon walk.  Practice praying until it becomes an instinct.

Significance.  Choose a Bible verse to cling to and commit it to memory.  Pick a verse that is significant to you and your walk with Christ.  When you feel overwhelmed, recite this Bible verse.  Pray this Bible verse.  Surround yourself with the truth of God’s Word.

Worship.  If it’s hard to come up with words to pray, turn to music.  Sing, hum, or listen to a worship song or hymn.  Create a playlist for yourself that you can turn on when you want to reach for God but aren’t sure what to pray about.

Visual Reminders. Put a sticky note or note card on your bathroom mirror or in your car that reminds you to pray.  Save a Bible verse as the screensaver on your computer or the background on your phone.  Choose a place that you look often and create a reminder that works well for you.

Community.  Ask someone in your circle to pray for you.  Spend time with a believer who is quick to pray.  Walk alongside a mentor that has been down this path before and learn from their journey.  Be encouraged and challenged by a community of fellow believers.

A passage that I find myself turning to often is Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  This is the Scripture that I pray when life gets chaotic, the truth that I turn to when everything feels like too much.  Our Father wants us to come to Him with everything.  What better day to start than today?