Prayer is a normal part of the Christian life.  If you are following Jesus, hopefully you are already practicing prayer.

The season of Lent provides an opportunity to rededicate time for prayer. Let’s face it, many struggle with the busyness of life, and this means that our spiritual disciplines suffer.  We know it is good and we should do it, but we don’t.  Let the Lent season be a time to refresh your prayer life.

How to refresh your prayer life:

a. Set aside time

Just as we would set a time up to meet with a friend, we need to do this with Jesus.  It’s like a wife and husband setting a date night.  It will not happen unless you set the time.  Keep this simple and start small.  The beauty of this choice is it may be a practice you keep up after the season ends.  Instead of giving up, you take up.

During the Lent season I would encourage the setting aside of a longer time for prayer.  For example, some churches will have extra weekly prayer gatherings.  For instance, one Church I know has the church open for a prayer vigil, from the Thursday just before Easter to their Good Friday service. .  They work to get people to sign up for one hour.    Individual and corporate times are equally important.

b. Consider walking and praying

In colder areas this can be a challenge, but it is a practical way to get physically active and spiritual at same time. You can even use the things you see to guide how you pray.

c. Use Examen Prayers

It is a prayer of remembering where God has met us and helped us.  It is a prayerful reflection on the events of the day in order to understand him and his direction for us.

Over at http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ you will find a resource called Lunch time examen.  It is a series of six online guided prayer sessions – Click here to go there.

d. Lectio Divina with the Bible.

This is a series of reflection steps on scripture that you can use to guide your prayer time.

Checkout this blog post for how to do Lectio Divina

e. Journal

This is a great tool.  You can write out your own prayers.  You can copy scripture into it. You can write down what is happening in your life.  It is a place to help untangle the thoughts of one’s mind.  It is a place to look back, and see where you are coming from and where God is taking you.

Here are some good thoughts from www.holyexperience.com on Journaling as a Spiritual discipline: An Act of Prayer. Click here

The Lent season can be used as a time to refresh your prayer life. What is one step you will take today to begin the journey?