I had to go out as soon as I got home so I knew I wouldn’t have time to pray, a daily practice I like to do in the late afternoon.
And then an idea came to my mind, why don’t I use this being-on-the-bus-time to pray?
And so, I did.
In my mind, I prayed the prayers I would have prayed at home, on the bus.
I did that the next day and the day after that and every workday since…
On the weekends, when I’m not busing, I enjoy a prayer walk. Same practice as on the bus, but… on my feet.
There are certainly challenges to praying outside of home, like fellow passengers having loud conversations not to mention a variety of interesting visual distractions.
When I notice myself losing my train of thought (prayer), I’m reminded to bring myself back to the moment I’m in. The more I practice this, the better I am at filtering out the noises around me and in my head.
“Thinking” prayer feels like a very intentional way of “…Setting my mind on things above…” Colossians 3:2
Both these, new-for-me ways of praying have opened my eyes to prayer being possible anywhere, anytime.
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” Philippians 4:6-9 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/php.4.6-9.MSG
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