5 Ways to Fortify Your Prayer Life

As we approach the Lenten season, it’s important to pause and take a moment to reflect on where we are at in our relationship with God. Prayer, simply put, is relationship with our Creator. Like any other relationship, it can be all too easy to drift apart, especially with the busyness, noise, and distractions that modern life throws at us. Lent is the perfect time to step away, to examine our spiritual lives, and to set goals for spiritual growth.

Today, we’ll be looking at five ways to “fortify” your prayer life. In doing so, we draw closer to our Creator and allow His presence to renew and transform our hearts and minds and to fill us with His peace.

The first step to fortifying your prayer life is to make sure prayer time actually happens! There is an old adage that “failing to plan is planning to fail,” and this couldn’t be truer when it comes to growing in the spiritual life. Our time with the Lord should be given the same level of importance as the meetings and appointments we value most. More even.

Unfortunately, with how busy we are, it becomes easy to make prayer time something that we “try to fit in” when we get a few minutes of free time. But without a set appointment time with God, we find ourselves forgetting to pray or only getting to it when we are totally exhausted and not in a good disposition to soak in His presence. God deserves our best, and if we want to experience all the fruits of prayer that He wants to give us, then we need to have a proper interior disposition to receive. This begins with planning out the time we will take for prayer.

Action Step: Pull out your calendar (or calendar app) and schedule at least 15 minutes of prayer time for every day this week.

Like any other relationship, prayer involves talking, listening, and spending time with God. When it comes to each of these three movements, there are countless “ways” to pray. Each of us is unique and unrepeatable, and because of this, each one of us has a unique relationship with God. Some beautiful examples of vocal prayer include the Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, and the Jesus Prayer. Mental prayer (the act of simply talking to God) is also something we should try to do every day. Prayers of praise, thanksgiving, repentance, and petition are common starting points for this practice.

Most importantly, we should be looking for ways to learn to listen to His voice as well. Spending time in Scripture and learning to sit in silence are crucial steps for anyone who seeks to be a disciple of Christ.

Action Step: Now that you know “when” you’ll be praying, take some time to jot down your game plan for prayer. What is your prayer time going to look like this week?

One of the things that many people find helpful when they begin to take seriously their prayerful relationship with God is the simple act of keeping a prayer journal. There are several ways to do this. Some people write out their mental prayer as if they are writing a “letter to God,” along with whatever they believe God is speaking back to them or inviting them to do. Others write down Scripture passages or references they read that day, along with any insights they had from the Holy Spirit. Still others write down just what they did for their prayer time as a means of accountability and keeping track of their progress. No matter your journaling method or style, this is a sure way to see how God is at work in your life over the weeks and months as they pass by.

Action Step: Find or purchase a notebook to use as a prayer journal.

The Christian journey is not one that is meant to be walked alone. Discipleship always means walking alongside others. When it comes to growing in our prayer lives, it is crucial that we have others checking in with us—both to hold us accountable and to share the fruits of prayer with. From time to time, prayer will feel dry. There are seasons of deep consolation in prayer, but we will also encounter seasons of dryness. It is in these moments that having someone along for the journey is a must—both for companionship and to help us keep focused on Christ.

Action Step: Find a couple others who are actively trying to follow Jesus and create an accountability plan. You can check in daily or weekly—whatever works best for your schedules!

Prayer is simple, but it isn’t always easy. Learning to push through distractions and dry spells takes time and effort to learn, but it is so worth it! God desires an intimate and personal relationship with you, and prayer is the place where we meet Him, speak to Him, and most importantly learn to listen to His voice. It’s been said that the most important “ingredients” for a prayer life are authenticity and consistency. Over time, we will grow in prayer as the Holy Spirit teaches us and breathes life into us—we simply need to make sure we are showing up.

Action Step: Just do it! Then, when it gets hard, keep doing it! The other steps will help with this. Know that you have an army of saints and angels in heaven rooting for you and praying for you, and you have a Father in heaven who loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

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. (Phil. 4:6-7)

Editor’s Note: This author’s book, 40 Days, 40 Ways to Pray, is available from Sophia Institute Press.

Photo by Amaury Gutierrez on Unsplash