How in the world will I find time to pray as a busy mama?

Taking care of babies, doing the house chores, ensuring food is on the table in time… the list could go on and on. If you add a side hustle to the mix, a mama will feel like she’ll collapse with overwhelm.

How can such a mom find time to pray? Honestly?

The media around us isn’t helping us as mamas. Watching all those moms with well-dressed children having Pinterest-worthy homes, and seeing them having time to make fabulous dinners with everything falling in place doesn’t help one tiny bit.

Most of us are left wondering, how do they do it all?

It’s in this environment that the Bible commands you and I as women to pray without ceasing. (1Thess.5:17)

The Bible further exhorts us to be faithful in prayer, (Rom.12:12) and to be clear minded and self-controlled so that we can pray. (1Pet.4:7)

Lest you and I wiggle out of these commands with statements like That’s for those who are not in my situation, or God understands, or When I get less busy I’ll pray, I want to remind us that these commands cover each of God’s children. The question should be, How can I be faithful in prayer in my situation as a busy mom?

This question reveals our desire to do God’s will despite our situation. God will graciously show us how to relate with him in prayer right where we are.

I’m presently experiencing the pressure that comes from a rather busy lifestyle. I homeschool our children, I handle most of the house chores myself, I prepare meals for my family, I run the women’s wing of a ministry, and I actively serve at our local church.

I rarely have time for much else. I’m usually up at 4 am and will usually sleep at 11 pm. I sleep, not because I’ve finished my goals but because I know I need sleep lol!

There have been a few days my body has ‘refused’ when I want to wake up at 4 am. I’m usually just too exhausted. Those are days I will sleep in a little and wake up to continue my usual routine.

I know you have your own story to tell too. So how do you and I get time to pray considering our busy schedules?

Keep in mind that God fully understands when we are so busy. The problem I’ve found though is that we are the ones who forfeit the blessings that come with prayer when we don’t pray.

I want to share a few practical principles I have followed to help me to be prayerful this season.

1. Don’t “Find” time to pray, create or carve out time to pray in your day

This principle hit me hard a few years ago when I started operating from home. I wasn’t as busy as I am today. I could easily pray whenever I thought I needed to pray.

As time went by though, I soon learned that if I continued operating this way, I would not be able to develop a lifestyle of prayer, especially as I got busy. I learned that I had to create time to pray if I was to pray without ceasing.

Part of the reason why I decided to wake up early like my husband did was for us to pray together. I valued our prayer time together more than my considered belief that I’m a night owl. I wouldn’t trade this time for anything. it’s been a strong base as I’ve continued to grow in my own prayer life.

My time of prayer alone doubles up as my time for my exercise. I walk. During my walk in our quiet countryside, I pray. Combining these two activities has helped me to be consistent in both because of the value I attach to both.

Don’t wait to find time to pray. Work with your program. Is it possible to pray, for instance, as you hold your infant and nurse? Are you able to get into your room for five minutes, get on your knees, and cry out to your heavenly Father?

God will always make a way for us when we call on him. He will show us how to pray amid our circumstances.

2. Prioritize Prayer

One of the reasons why we will find ourselves not praying as busy mamas is that we are not prioritizing prayer.

Deep down in our hearts, we might have believed the lie that prayer is not that important. We can do without it. After all, we’re somehow managing to get by.

This is something I have to keep reminding myself again and again. I must remind myself as a mom that God has called me to be faithful in prayer. I must remember that we have been commanded to pray.

Prayer works. God works to accomplish what he has purposed in and through us in our lives and in the lives of those we’re serving. I should never let myself think that what I’m doing is equal to or more important than prayer. Without the Word and prayer, all that I’m doing will amount to nothing.

This truth led me to begin setting aside what I thought was more important so I could pray. What that meant is that if I’m going for my prayer walk/exercise after breakfast, regardless of how important what I want to do is, it will wait until 30 minutes later when I come back.

If I don’t complete my goals because I spent time in prayer, so be it, especially if I’ve set for myself a reasonable amount of time to pray.

3. Don’t wait for when you’ll be less busy so that you can pray, you might never be.

With each season in life comes challenges to be overcome that are new and unique to that season.

Ever since I understood my calling in the Lord, as a single woman, a married woman, and a mother now, I have always been busy. The seasons have been different but there’s always been so much to be done.

Many of us have bought into the lie that things will get better perhaps when your toddler is older, or when the children have left the nest, or when you get help. We keep looking ahead to that season when things will be easier.

Honestly, I have found that that is like a mirage. I must trust God to show me how to wisely adjust and navigate each season of my life and be all there, rather than waiting for a better season that is coming.

Trusting God to be prayerful is part of this adjustment. Keep in mind that the enemy of our souls will do anything to keep us from praying. He knows that we will be more fruitful in that given season when we pray.

Don’t believe the lie that a better time is coming when you will be prayerful again. You can be prayerful in your present season. How you will pray may change but your prayer life doesn’t have to.

4. Learn the best home management practices that can help you ‘buy back’ your time to invest it in prayer

Ever since I learned to meal prep, work with a menu, work with a routine, and delegate, I have bought back my time as it were. I’ve found for instance that I’ve been able to attend to my most pressing responsibilities such as ensuring food is on the table and managing the laundry.

I will then go to pray without feeling pressured by the fact that I have pressing tasks that need to be done.

A routine is predictable. My household knows when I go to pray. They’ll not prevail upon me to do something they’d like me to do because they know that’s my time for prayer.

I’m reminded of the late Susanna Wesley whose children knew not to disturb their mama when she had her apron covering her face.

Now what about a menu? A menu helps me not to think too hard about what to cook. I try to meal prep too based on my menu.

When it comes to delegating, my children do certain age-appropriate chores that I’ve delegated to them.

For instance, they will take care of the living room and the dining room area each morning, ensuring that it is sorted and presentable.

These little delegations can help you ensure you have a little time each day that you can spend in prayer.

5. Being specific about the time you will spend in prayer and keeping to it

I know this will not be possible for every woman reading this. This might work for most of us though.

I got this principle from the Apostles in the book of Acts in the Bible. In Acts 3:1, Peter and John went to the temple at the hour of prayer.

It occurred to me that this hour was known to everyone; at least to the Jews. If anyone went to the temple to pray at that hour, no one would find it odd, after all, it was the hour of prayer.

What if we were able to train our households that this particular time of my day is my hour of prayer?

How would it be if we were to ingrain in our households why this hour of prayer is important to us that they will even remind us when we fail to pray?

Susanna Wesley did it. Her children wouldn’t disturb her when she prayed. We can do so too. Not necessarily as she did it. God will show us how to creatively do this in our contexts.

 

Let’s keep remembering that when we don’t pray, we are forfeiting the privilege that would be ours. Let’s not forfeit this privilege.

We will find that we are engaging in more fruitful impactful labour that will outlast us to bless future generations simply because we chose to pray without ceasing.

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