Don Whitney, author of several NavPress books, is the John H. Powell Endowed Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Here are several short, practical posts from his always-timely book, Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed. In these selected excerpts, Whitney will help us consider ways to simplify our journaling, our prayer, our Christian life in general, our priorities, and our time in Scripture. In this post on prayer, Whitney opens our imagination on ways to pray throughout the day.
Beside a highway that I travel several times each week sits a big sign that’s hard to ignore. Whenever I notice it I use it as a reminder to pray for a particular person. At another point along that road is a panoramic view of my city. I use the sight to remind me to ask the Lord for reformation and revival upon His work in our area. Whenever I see a certain time on a digital clock it’s a memory-jogger to pray for my wife and daughter.
I refer to these as “prayer prompts,” things I use to remind me to pray for specific people or situations.
Christians have always used commonplace things as ways to turn their thoughts heavenward. When dressing in the morning, many Puritans made a habit of praying briefly for a different matter with each article of clothing they pulled on. I know several believers who pray whenever they hear a siren.
All this is similar to a practice of the apostle Paul. Every time the thought of the church in Philippi popped into his head, he used that recollection as a reminder to pray for those brothers and sisters: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy” (Philippians 1:3-4).
Why not transform something from your routine into a prayer prompt? It can be a sight, smell, sound, thought, event, or experience. Find these cues in your home, at your job, on your commute, online, at your desk—anywhere.
Donald S. Whitney
Don Whitney holds the John H. Powell Endowed Chair of Pastoral Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is professor of biblical spirituality and the director of the Center for Biblical Spirituality. He is the author of several books.