During seminary I preached a sermon suggesting we all carve out quiet time to talk to God each day. But an honest mom questioned me afterwards: “How am I supposed to do that? I’m interrupted even when I go to the bathroom!” I was sympathetic. Today, with our family of three children, I understand even better.
Stay–at–home moms wear out their minivans shuttling children from school to soccer practice to piano lessons to karate workouts. Cabbies work 14–hour shifts. Lawyers labor past midnight. Recent MBA grads spend their week in or between airports. One person described their apartment as more of a storage locker than living space. Add a long commute or ill parents to a stuffed life, and time with God in prayer feels like an unrealistic luxury.
But what if prayer is not just another duty to add to an overcommitted schedule? What if we keep God in our thoughts in all the things we do? Psalm 27 shows us a way. Though the psalmist has been facing rough times, he keeps calling on the Lord and trusting in God’s help in all that he must do. He has one request—to seek God, to live as God wants him to.
Maybe you’re dealing with business competition or office politics or backbiting gossip. Try to imagine every part of your day as a prayerful gift lived before the face of God. You can pray by offering your work as a prayer.
Father, in my work today, be glorified. May I seek your face. “Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path.” Guide me to “be strong and take heart,” in Jesus’ name. Amen
About the author — Kevin Adams
Dr. Kevin Adams has served as a church planter/pastor in the Sacramento, California, area since 1991. He and his wife, Gerry, began Granite Springs Church in Lincoln, and this congregation has helped to nourish several other church plants. Kevin also serves as a director of the Sierra Leadership Network, a training program for new church leaders.
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