Encounters with God

This article is courtesy HomeLife magazine.

If you thought praying continually would require moving to a hermit’s cave, here’s hope. God wants an ongoing conversation with you — wherever you are and about whatever concerns you. You can indeed spend the day in relationship with and talking with the God of the universe. Here are simple ways to encounter God throughout your day:   

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• Tape a list of people you’re praying for on your refrigerator. Every time you open it, pray for someone.  
• Create a prayer calendar. Write requests on each day of the calendar, and as you check your daily schedule, pray for that person or situation.   
• Keep on your desk at work a list of Scripture verses that can become your prayers. Take moments throughout your day to pray those verses.   
• As you take your child to school or wait to pick him up, pray for his teachers. Also pray God would surround your child with friends who love Christ. Pray for the salvation of his friends.   
• Pray for your family by name as you make their beds, prepare their meals, and wash their clothes. Pray for God to reveal Himself in real, specific ways to each family member.   
• Take your kids to a park or nature center. As they play, take a few quiet moments to talk with your Creator.   
• Make a rule to pause any time you see a sunset and praise God, the Maker of all things beautiful.   
• Pray a psalm of praise each day.   
• After you clean a room in your house, take a few minutes before going to the next task to thank God for His forgiveness and for making you clean.   
• Walk around your neighborhood and pray for the families whose houses you pass.   
• As you drive around your city, pray for the neighborhoods and areas you pass through.   
• Crank a CD of worship music as you clean your house or drive in your car. Sing the words as praise to God.   
• When someone speeds past you in traffic, pray for her — she may be in an emergency situation.   
• When you hear a siren, pray for those involved in the emergency.   
• Pray for the person standing next to you in the elevator.   
• Pray for the cashier checking you out at a store.   
• As you watch the news, pray for the families of victims of crimes.   
• As you’re sitting in the doctor’s office, pray for people sitting nearby.   
• As you sit in the dentist’s chair, pray for missionaries who do medical work in other countries.   
• When you get your hair cut, pray for those who have lost their hair because of cancer, and thank God for your health.   
• Immediately after you put your kids to bed, take a few minutes to be still. Don’t talk to God; simply take that time to listen to His voice.