There are different instances of mind wandering, but today, we are dealing with mind wandering in prayer. If you are experiencing mind wandering while praying, I want to emphasize that nothing is wrong with you. It’s a common distraction that most believers face while praying. The good news is that it should not stop or limit your prayers. You can deal with it and overcome it. By God’s grace, I will share a few strategies with you.
Wandering mind or mind-wandering is the occurrence of thoughts unrelated to the task being performed. Mind wandering has several names, including intrusive thoughts, daydreaming, fantasy, zoning out, mind racing, etc. Generally, mind wandering is not entirely wrong. The problem with mind wandering is the ability to control it, and not let it control you, distract or disrupt you from praying. Mind-wandering can be spontaneous (unintentional) or deliberate (intentional). This means you can initiate mind wandering, or it can occur spontaneously. That tells me that if you can initiate it, you can control it.
How to Control Mind-wandering:
Gain dominion over your thoughts: The first step to dealing with a wandering mind in prayer is gaining control. Scripture says to guard your heart with all diligence (Prov 4:23), which means to be in charge of your thoughts, control your thoughts, and not let your thoughts rule you. This involves training and discipline; It won’t happen overnight. It’s a daily practice. Always learn to eliminate thoughts you don’t want to think about or dwell on.
Also, practice mastering your thoughts through the presence of the mind; that is, you are present in the moment. You do this by redirecting your mind and thoughts to where you are and what you are doing physically and presently. I will give you an example: just like while reading an exciting book, you are highly engrossed in it. You are not thinking about what to eat next; you are entirely immersed in what you are reading. So also, When you begin to practice the presence of mind, you are training your mind to focus on one activity at a time. In the world of sports, it is called playing or performing in the zone. You are not worried or distracted but focused on the activity of the moment.
One thing is sure:
If you are yet to master your thoughts, controlling mind-wandering in prayer will be hard. You must understand that not all thoughts are your thoughts, so you must filter out unauthorized thoughts consistently. You must be aware of what you are thinking about and consciously think about what you are thinking about (Phil 4:8).
Have a compelling and specific intention in prayer:
Your mind will naturally wander if the task being performed is not engaging or rewarding enough. Your mind will always wander when what you are doing is boring to you. You must connect your emotions to your prayer. Make sure you know what you are praying for and have a burning desire for what you are praying for. Your prayer must be heartfelt.
The scripture even makes it clear that it is the earnest and heartfelt prayer of the righteous that is effective (James 5:16b, AMPC). It will be impossible for Hannah’s mind to wander when she prayed in Shiloh (1 Sam 1:9-14). Her prayer for a baby was heartfelt, intense, and specific. If you don’t know what you are praying for, your mind will quickly wander to something more exciting.
Envision your answer in your Mind:
Pray with a clear picture of your expectations or answer. Your mind works with images. You must fill your mind with the right image so it does not focus on any random image. Something I also do while praying is to imagine that Jesus is right where I am praying. I concentrate my mind on scriptural scenarios of what I am praying about. I would imagine Elijah bowing himself to the earth and praying seven times (1 Kings 18:42-44). I would picture Jesus praying with his disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration and being transformed as he prayed (Luke 9:28-32). I literally insert myself into scriptures and create mental images in my mind that will keep me focused.
Pray with a Scripture:
Always pray with a scripture to help focus your mind and build your faith while you pray. Praying with a scripture gives your faith something to rest on. The most powerful prayers are scripture-based prayers. Praying with scripture increases your faith and gives your faith a foundation. When you pray with scripture, your faith is not blind but a Bible faith bound to produce results. When you pray with scripture, you are keeping your mind engaged in what you are doing.
Pray with an expectation to hear God:
Prayer is a two-way conversation. You must intentionally seek to listen and hear what God is saying while praying. If you deliberately listen to someone in a conversation, it will be hard to drift off thinking about something else. After every prayer, ask yourself, what did I receive from God? What did God say to me?
I hope you were blessed!
Continue with Part 2; click here to read.
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