Five minutes doesn’t seem like much for a prayer time.
Ture. But you can do a whole lot of praying in five minutes. God can do awesome things with just a few people, five loaves and two fish,or a mustard seed of faith. Imagine what could happen from five minutes?
Have you tried praying for a five minutes stretch recently? I have. I quickly learned how spiritually ADD I am. My mind starts to wander after just two or three sentences.
That’s why I love the wise words from my guest blogger, Letitia Suk about targeting a specific area of our lives to engulf in prayer. She shows how to break those five minutes down into even more specific prayer points. Letitia’s article came across my desk at just the right time, too, because my Bible Study group is studying a chapter this week on spending time alone with God. What perfect practical advice for those of us looking for ways to expand our time with God and focus our attention on the Holy One.
Here’s Letitia.
Got Five Minutes?
by Letitia Suk
“Take five minutes to pray for your work each day and see what happens,” was the challenge proposed by our pastor to the congregation years ago. I remember thinking something like, “Duh!” Of course, I already pray at least five minutes a day for my work…don’t I? Surely all the praying-on-the-run I did each day for all the flying curveballs added up to more than five minutes.
The nudging continued so the next morning I grabbed a timer on the way to my prayer chair, set it for five minutes and began to pray specifically for my work. Wow, that timer took a long time to ding! Challenge accepted—I was ready to see what would happen.
Like many of us, my work is multi-faceted.
I decided to give a minute to each of the five areas for my day-to-day projects. It seemed like one minute would be easier that five. I know, wimpy, right?
The first minute I gave to my coaching clients. They invested time with me to bring focus and intentionality to their lives and I wanted to give them my best work. My writing got the next minute. The current projects, the longed-for projects, my skill and wisdom in putting words on a page. Good thing the timer rang because it was easy to zone off into work mode instead of praying.
Speaking ministry was next. Events already scheduled and those I wanted to schedule. For my communication skills to grow and for lives to be changed. A lot for one minute.
My part-time chaplain work got minute #4. Patients, sensitivity, staff and overall blessing for the hospitals.
The last minute I saved for specific work stuff on that day’s agenda: marketing, blogging, networking. This time the five minutes flew by.
He was right—things happened!
I felt more partnered with God in all aspects of my work. Not just that I was working for Him but with Him as I laid the concerns out each day. I saw clearer productivity and greater results.
All these years later, I still set my timer most days. My work depends on it.
Each day holds 1440 minutes…hard to claim a legitimate excuse for not finding five of them to invest in prayer over your work. You might be amazed at the return.
P.S.—The same five-minute principle works for other areas of your life too!
About Letitia:
Letitia (Tish) Suk, www.letitiasuk.com, invites women to create an intentional life centered in Jesus. She blogs at hopeforthebest.org and authored Getaway with God: The Everywoman’s Guide to Personal Retreat and Rhythms of Renewal. She is a speaker, personal retreat guide, and life coach in the Chicago area.
You can also find Tish at https://www.facebook.com/Letitia.Suk.Author/
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