The house was quiet and lonely. One lamp lit the living room - it was muted and calm. A blanket was still folded carefully over the rocking chair and the cushions were placed neatly on the couch. In about an hour and a half the room would look quite different, but for now, it was so peaceful.
With a cup of hot tea in hand, and my Bible open in front of me, I closed my eyes to pray.
“But wait, did I respond to that text my sister sent me yesterday?”
“I’m almost done with the blog post, but there is just something missing…”
“If the weather is good today we are definitely going to the park. Oh wait, I forgot we need to get some flowers in those flower boxes. Yes, we will do that instead.”
Focus! I told myself. God, help me to focus on you!
“Don’t forget to get the chicken in the crock-pot before 10 AM”.
Stop it! I told my mind, but it kept going and wouldn’t stop...
It seems to be happening more and more lately. I sit down to pray and read my Bible but my mind is going 90 miles an hour thinking about everything that I need or want to do.
Why is it so hard to sit in the silence, with our Creator, and talk with Him? Why does everything else seem so much more...important? Interesting? Vital? Urgent?
It can be hard as moms to stop the mind chatter and quiet our brains - it can be especially hard when we sit down to pray.
Part of it is sin nature, that is for sure. We are drawn to things that are fleeting.
But another part of it is that we don’t properly prepare ourselves to be quiet before Him. And that is something that we have control over.
Why Moms Need To Be Quiet Before God
You and I both know that with kids, big or little, our days get filled up pretty quickly with taking care of them, nurturing them, playing with them, driving them around, etc. And because of that it is important for us to practice praying as we go throughout our day - to “pray without ceasing” as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians.
But it is also important for us to find time in our day to pray, undistracted, quietly before God (I know that the “undistracted” part is what can be hard, and we will talk about that in a bit..).
Oftentimes prayer in the midst of our day - while we are driving, washing dishes, changing diapers - leaves out the part of prayer that might be the most important - the listening part…
The listening part is hard to do when we are running around trying to get kids in the car. The listening part most often happens when we are sitting in the quiet, calming our minds before Him.
Not that He can’t speak to us when we are moving around and distracted; but I often wonder what He might be saying to me that I am not hearing because I am not giving myself the space and quiet to listen to Him.
God has asked us to be still before Him (Psalms 46:10) There is value in resting in His presence. Jesus often went to “quiet and lonely places” (Luke 5:15) to be before God. It goes without saying that if He did it, maybe we should, too.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
Why You Must Prepare Your Mind For Prayer
Your husband walks in the door after being at work all day.
You're dealing with crying kids, trying to get dinner cooked, and stuffing the clean laundry in overcrowded drawers - all at the same time.
He puts his stuff down and walks over to talk to you - to ask how your day went and to tell you about his.
What is your reception of him like? I know when I have afternoons that have been crazy and I have not prepared myself for Lance getting home I am often short, distracted, and focused on other things - not on looking him in the eye to listen and share.
The same goes for our time with God in prayer. If we don’t prepare our minds beforehand we aren’t going to be very open and receptive to what He wants to say to us and what He has for us to hear.
How To Prepare Your Mind To Be Still Before God First Thing In The Morning
1. Don’t pick up your phone right when you wake up
because when you do...phew! Talk about getting your mind going! The mind chatter that starts up because you looked at your phone first thing in the morning is totally on you. There are no excuses for that! Don’t grab that phone until after your quiet time.
2. Have the house, or the area you are in, tidy and neat before you go to bed the night before
the more clutter around you, the more your mind will feel cluttered. A clean, neat space makes the brain feel a little more free, relaxed, and clear.
3. Turn on a worship song or other calming music to get your mind ready to meet with Him - ready to focus on your Father
I bought this song a couple years ago after hearing about it in a podcast, and used it in the mornings before my quiet time to get my head space right. Though I haven’t listened to it in awhile (because I got a new phone and can’t figure out where the song went….), I know it helped me a ton in getting my head quiet before God. Maybe it will help you, too.
5 Practical Ways to Stop Mind Chatter During Prayer
Inevitably, no matter how we prepare, there will be times when you sit down to pray and your mind will suddenly go into overdrive - the chatter will be relentless!
If you find yourself in that place, here are 5 ways to help you stop the mind chatter during prayer.
1. Take a deep breath
Sometimes that is all we need. To audibly say “stop, mind”, then to close our eyes, and take a few long, deep, slow breaths. Just doing this one thing can sometimes help to reorient my mind to where it needs to be.
2. Grab a notebook and jot down what is on your mind
If you can’t get a thought or certain task out of your mind, then grab a notebook and write it down. Get it on paper, and out of your head! The practice of writing it down will help you to feel a physical distance from that thought - it’s on paper now and you can deal with it later.
3. Turn off the lights
But beware...I have done this before and suddenly 10 minutes has gone by…
I have found that there are times when just turning the lights off and sitting in the dark can help to keep my brain from going into overdrive. In a way, it’s like the darkness helps me to have tunnel vision.
4. Write down your prayers
I love to do this when my brain just won't stop talking. Grab your notebook and pen and jot down your prayers to God. The physical connection will help you to keep on task and focused.
5. Follow a structured prayer plan
Like this one. I love this 1-HR prayer guide - it helps to keep my brain centered and focused and structured as I pray. It also reminds me that there are other important aspects of prayer than just asking and listening...
By the way, using this doesn’t mean you have to pray for an hour - you can do each section for just a minute or so. Or just pick a few you want to walk through each day.
It’s Time For Us to Practice the Discipline of Being Quiet Before God
If you are a believer and don’t already practice a daily quiet time with God, you should 🙂 He is waiting to meet with you, to love you, and to teach you.
If you do have a time each day that you come before Him, praying and reading the Bible, then you no doubt have days where you just can’t get your mind to shut up and listen - to be quiet and focus. When you do:
- Take a deep, long breath.
- Jot down what is on your mind - get it out of your mind and onto paper
- Turn off the lights and pray in the quiet dark
- Grab a journal and write down your prayers (instead of trying to focus on them inside your own head)
- Follow a structured prayer plan
Too often, when my mind is all over the map, I’ll get frustrated and give up. Sometimes I even use it as an excuse to move on to the next part of my morning routine. I’ll put my tea cup down, tell myself “well this is a waste of time”, and move to my computer to start writing or working on another project.
Don’t give up (like I have many mornings). Figure out what works for you to calm your mind. You need that silence before your Father. He is waiting for you.
I'm rooting for you!
