The Busy Woman's Guide to Prayer

No matter how packed your daily
planner is, here’s why you need
to find time with the Lord.
By Cheri Fuller

Like Martha in the Bible, I have lots to do—office
work, writing projects, laundry, cooking, cleaning.
Just this week, for instance, I had a deadline
to meet, my daughter-in-law was hospitalized,
and I cared for her baby. Add in meals to cook,
a household to run, a prayer group to lead, and
preparation for an overseas ministry trip. It’s a real
challenge to squeeze in time for prayer!
No matter how packed your daily planner is, here’s why
you need to find time with the Lord.

I used to think, If I don’t pray at a certain time of day,
then my prayers don’t really count. Then my prayer
life underwent a radical transformation. I discovered
the apostle Paul’s command to “pray continually” (1
Thessalonians 5:17) means more than just spending a lot
of time in prayer; it means sharing a continual dialogue
with God wherever I go.
The truth that God listens to my prayers wherever I
am didn’t sink in until my son, Chris, left to attend
a university 20 hours from home. Oh, how I missed
hearing his voice! Busy with premed classes, intramural
basketball, and studying, Chris didn’t call often. But once
in a while, the phone would ring, and it would be Chris.
I’d drop everything—the project I was working on, dinner
preparations—just to hear my son’s voice.
One day I realized God feels the same way about me, only
hundreds of times more, because I’m his child (John 1:12)!
Whether I’m walking, driving across town, or sending
a prayer heavenward from my computer, he delights in
hearing from me—not just once a day, but throughout the
day. Scripture says he “inclines his ear” and is “open to
hear” my prayers (Psalm 40:1; 34:15).
I became even more excited about the effects of praying
continuously when I noticed that throughout the Bible, God
used short prayers to accomplish great things—such as
raising the dead or parting the Red Sea. It dawned on me
that thoughts such as, But I can’t pray long enough, or If I
can’t pray one hour, then why pray? have no biblical basis.
It’s wonderful to have longer sessions of prayer when I
can, but remembering that my short prayers can have a big
impact encourages me to pray throughout the day.
Whether you’re married or single, with or without
children, you probably struggle with your prayer life
as I did with mine. The good news is, you don’t have to
put either life or prayer on hold. Here’s how to begin
building a 24/7 prayer life.
Get a Good Start
For me, a life of continuous prayer now starts even
before I lift my head off the pillow. I say, “Lord, this is
the day you’ve made; help me focus on you in the midst
of all I’ve got to do.”
I read God’s Word before the demands of the day flood
in, because Scripture never fails to draw me into prayer
and praise. Praying things such as “Lord, help me to
trust in you with all my heart and not lean on my own
understanding” (from Proverbs 3:5–6), or “Thank you,
Father, that you are compassionate and gracious, slow
to anger and abounding in love” (from Psalm 103:8),
helps me zero in on the Mountain-Mover instead of the
mountains I may be facing. And most days I pray these
and other prayers for my family and friends during my
morning walk.
My friend Betsy also starts her day with prayer and
exercise. Betsy—who’s active in her church’s women’s
ministry, leads a neighborhood Bible study, and serves
on various committees and boards—still finds time to
pray faithfully for many people and concerns while
walking 30 minutes on her treadmill. For example,
Betsy prayed for me to experience energy and strength
while I spoke at her church’s retreat—and I did! I know
that Betsy’s “treadmill prayers” are effective because
I’ve personally experienced God’s answers to them.

Clue into Visual Reminders
I use the things around me as visual cues to prompt
me to pray. For example, as I pass the windows of
neighbors’ houses on my morning walk, I pray, “God, let
your light shine in; bless them and draw them closer
so they’ll know you.” As I shower after walking, I pray,
“Lord, please create in me a clean heart and renew a
right spirit within me; cleanse my heart of sin” (from
Psalm 51:10). When I drive past a school and see a
school-zone sign, I make the area a “prayer zone” by
asking God to protect the students and to give all the
teachers wisdom.
Later, as I bake bread or cook a meal, I’m reminded
to pray that Christ would be the Bread of Life for the
person receiving it. Picking up a loved one’s shoes
triggers me to pray that his feet will stay on God’s path.
Seeing something lovely—a mallard duck flying through
the sky or fresh blooms on a rose bush—reminds me to
say a prayer of thanks to God for his creation.
My friend Peggy also likes using visual cues. When she
puts on her seat belt before heading to the high school to
substitute teach, she says, “Lord, I want to abide in you
and be yoked with you.” When she stops at a stop sign,
she takes a deep breath and says, “My rest is in you
alone, Lord. I may be trying to get somewhere, but thank
you that you are preparing the way.”
With visual cues to prompt us, all our daily activities—
gardening, cleaning, working, or creating—become
springboards to conversation with God.

Use Tools to Stay Focused
It’s easy for my mind to wander during prayer. One
way I counteract this is by using the acronym B-L-ES-
S as I pray for my family and friends. Each letter in
the acronym stands for a key area of life: Body, Labor,
Emotional, Social, and Spiritual.
For example, for our son, Chris, who’s now a Navy
doctor, I prayed today: “Lord, bless Chris’s body;
strengthen and protect him during his deployment.
Bless Chris’s labor; give him wisdom as he cares for
the Marines’ medical needs and injuries. Bless Chris’s
emotional life; help him trust you concerning his and
his wife Maggie’s move to Hawaii. Father, bless Chris’s
social relationships; bring him a Christian friend on
the ship while he’s deployed. And bless Chris’s spiritual
life; help him draw near to you and your Word more
each day.”
Dena, a busy mother of four, always felt guilty about
not praying more often. She needed a way to focus her
attention during the snippets of time she found herself
alone. So one day she wrote down every prayer request
she could think of—for herself, family, friends, church,
community, nation, and world. Then she divided them
into 31 equal segments and put them in a notebook.
She keeps the notebook in her bathroom, one of the
only places she has a few minutes alone. Each day she
prays over the few items that correspond to the day of
the month. Dena’s notebook helps her focus on each of
the many needs in her world—one day, one minute at a
time.

Pray on the Spot
With all I’ve got going on, I don’t want to forget to pray
for others’ struggles. So instead of saving those prayers
for a special prayer time, I pray right on the spot. If a
friend asks me to pray for a specific need, I offer to pray
with her right then. If a speeding ambulance passes me
while I’m driving, I immediately pray for the people in it
and for the doctors who’ll care for the injured people at
the hospital.
Connie, a busy mom, Bible teacher, and Christian
psychotherapist, finds time to pray for the many people
she sees each day by praying on the spot, too. At the end
of each counseling session, Connie takes a few moments
to pray with her client. She then pauses to ask God that
he would give her wisdom and discernment to help the
next patient before he or she arrives (Psalm 119:66).
Connie also prays the same prayer for the patients she
sees heading into nearby medical offices.
“Even in the midst of my busy days, God gives me ‘minimoments’
to lift those around me in prayer,” says Connie.
“Everyone we come in contact with daily is struggling
with something. It may be their job, their marriage, an
illness, or stress. Everyone needs our prayers.”
I’m still a Martha by nature, but I’ve found praying
continually isn’t just another duty or heavy burden to bear.
Prayer is how I know God, not just know about him; it’s
how I hear God, not just hear about him. Time after time,
when I pour out my burdens, concerns, and problems, I
experience his peace and hope. I see his faithfulness more
clearly. I experience his comfort in trials, his unfailing
love as I see him provide for needs about which I’ve
prayed.

E.M. Bounds, a 19th-century pastor, said, “Your
prayers will outlive your life.” Long after my address
has changed to heaven, the short prayers I’ve said
while rocking a feverish baby, working on the
computer, or moving throughout my day, still will be a
blessing to those for whom I’ve prayed.

Reflect
Paul’s command to “pray continuously” seems
impossible in our busy lives. How might you make
this a reality in your life?

Which of the author’s suggestions resonate most with
you? Why?