But simple is NOT the same as easy.

Have you ever struggled to pray?  Have you ever experienced periods of great prayer success only to see it disappear after a few missed prayer appointments?  I sure have.  And yet prayer still rests as a great key to our spiritual success!

If you’re struggling with prayer, here’s an idea for you.  Starting today, put one of these prayer concepts into practice:

1. Pray for 3-5 minutes at the top of each hour.  If you were awake for 14-16 hours a day you would pray anywhere from 42-48 minutes a day to upwards of 70 – 80 minutes a day by utilizing just those few minutes of each hour.  Now if I asked you to pray an hour a day that might seem overwhelming, yet by using the top of the hour as a regular reminder (even set your iPhone alarm to go off hourly!) you could do it.

2. If 3-5 minutes an hour isn’t your style, try setting aside 10 minutes twice-a-day:  Once in the morning and once at night.  Do that for a week then increase that time by 2 minutes.  If you did that for a month, at the end of four weeks you would be praying 32 minutes a day.  When I’ve done this in the past I’ve actually set a timer to keep myself on track (ahem…iPhone comes in handy here, too!)

3. When I’m struggling to pray sometimes it helps me to write out my prayers.  I take a journal and write out, word for word, what the prayers of my heart are.  This may take a little longer but it helps get my heart and mind in the right place.

Take one of these methods and apply it to your prayer life today.  Use it to jump-start your habit if its grown cold or stale, use it to start a habit that is non-existent or use it to take your prayer life to another level.  Pray and watch your faith grow!