Sometimes serving the Lord isn’t easy. I’m typically an all-or-nothing type of girl.  A downfall of this?  I’m not great at juggling. I prefer to focus only on one task at a time, not multiple projects at once.

That’s what I prefer.  As a wife and mother, that obviously isn’t the cards that are always presented me.

At one time, the Lord opened up new ministry opportunities, and I excitedly ran with what He gave me.  It didn’t take long to realize that I couldn’t physically do everything I was doing, at least not gracefully.  After a talk with a dear friend, she helped open my eyes to all the responsibilities I had taken.  I simply listed my current responsibilities out loud, what I typically did each week and any monthly responsibilities. Those small commitments that don’t really take up much time can add up to a person who isn’t great at juggling.  Next, we went down the list to see if I still felt the Lord calling me to each of those responsibilities.

I knew it was time to let some go. To slow down. I began praying, seeking Him for answers, but I just did not seem to be getting a clear answer.

The Lord impressed on my heart to go and pray with a lady that I did not know very well. As I began to share my heart, with tears rolling down my cheeks, the Lord gave me an answer as the words came out of my own mouth.

I’m so wrapped up in it all; it’s like I can’t even hear Him answer and direct me.

Like I said, I had been praying. I genuinely desired the Lord to lead and guide me. But I had really been wanting Him to answer and guide me quickly during my short prayer time when I could fit it in. This doesn’t mean that what I was busy doing was not important or meaningful. After all, I was homeschooling my children and planning Bible studies, children ministry programs, church trips, and fellowships as well as  working part-time, which the Lord had graciously blessed me with.

However, was my prayer time with the Lord thriving? Looking back, I see that I was giving everyone else my all, and I let my own prayer time suffer.

Daniel is a good example of someone thriving in their prayer life.  In Daniel 6:10 it states,

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Did you catch how many times a day he stopped and kneeled down in prayer? I don’t think that this was a simple ten second prayer before he ate.

Daniel knew that in order to hear from God, he needed to slow down and give God the time He deserves.

As women of God, we need to remember this same truth as well. We must purposefully set aside time talking and listening to the Lord, realizing it is a vital means to our relationship with Him. It may mean stepping down from some volunteer positions for a time or waking up 20 minutes earlier to have some quiet time with the Lord before the rest of your day begins.

Instead of grabbing your phone while you wait for your kids at practice, simply spend some time talking with the Lord.  Ask the Lord to show you how to become more committed to your prayer time. Investing in this relationship will be life changing!