Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Today we consider distractions in prayer. 

Author Henry Nouwen describes the problem: 

When I try to pray I spend the hour thinking about people I am angry with, people who are angry with me, books I should read and books I should write, and thousands of other silly things that grab my mind for a moment. (From Road to Daybreak (New York: Image Books, 1989))

Exactly. What grabs your mind when you try to pray? 

I once spent an extraordinarily distracted day in prayer. I tried my usual routines, but  just could not focus. I tried reading scripture, but it was dry as dust. I tried journaling, but had nothing worth writing. I tried praying, but nobody was listening. I wandered to the library and flipped a few pages. No inspiration there.  

But I plugged away at it, more or less, until I finally found relief by quitting at 4:30,  

Later, I reported my experience to Sister Doreen, my spiritual director, a nun. 

“Ah yes,” she exclaimed. “The desert. And what fruit came from your day in the desert?” 

“Well,” I said, “My prayers were useless, but the rest of the week was amazing. I was at peace with myself and God and the world. I made good decisions. I did stuff that needed doing.” 

“Yes,” said Sister Doreen. “The desert is good for our spiritual life.” 

I think God likes it when I show up to pray, even when my prayers are dry and inarticulate.

Another time I said to Sister Doreen, “When it’s time to pray, I always think of six urgent things I have to do first. Once the garbage is out, the dishes put away, and those emails finally sent, I will feel caught up and I can be at peace while I pray.” 

She replied, “You’re lucky if you only have six things on your list. I always have at least 16!” 

The solution, difficult as it is? Put prayer at the top of the list. If I start doing other stuff first, I’ll be busy all day, and never get round to prayer.

Henry Nouwen continued his comment on prayer:

Sitting in the presence of God for one hour each morning in total confusion and with myriad distractions radically changes my life. I might think each hour is useless, but after thirty or sixty or ninety useless hours, I gradually realize I am not as alone as I thought; a small gentle voice had been speaking to me far beyond my noisy place.

Let’s pray. 

O father, it’s not just our prayers that are distracted. It’s our lives. Cell phones call, emails beckon, Fox news and CBC are just a soundbite away. Facebook wants me to scroll, podcasts cue up for my attention, and Trump is just a click away on Truth Social. 

But it is your truth I need, O father. The truth of peace in a chaotic world. The truth of quietness in a clamoring culture. The truth of your fatherhood in a world of broken homes, broken dreams, broken promises, and broken lives. 

Give me grace to set aside the things that seem so urgent, to postpone the tasks that divert me, to discipline the thoughts that distract me, to rest quietly in your presence. Teach me to hear your still small voice.   

Amen. 

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.  

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