Day 13 of Embracing Your Creative Gifts: Time Spent in Prayer is Never Wasted

 

And having dismissed the multitude, he went into a mountain alone to pray. – Matthew 14:23

Several times in the Gospels, we read of Jesus going off by himself to pray. Even Jesus, the Son of God, the Word Made Flesh, needed time by himself to pray and commune with God. An empty well has nothing to offer to quench anyone’s thirst. Without prayer, our creative efforts will bear no real fruit.

We need to take the time to root ourselves in God. It is the most important thing we can do on a daily basis. We might not be able to dedicate a large amount of time to this – some life stages are much more busy than others – but any time spent in prayer is time well spent.

God can’t be outdone in generosity. Any time we give to God will be multiplied in our productivity. Even busy people have time to pray. Begin your day with a morning offering (see www.ourcatholicprayers.com/morning-offering.html). Turn off the radio and offer a decade or two of the rosary while driving in the car. You can pray while cleaning or exercising. Spend some time in prayer instead of picking up your phone to check social media. You can offer short prayers of praise or intercession throughout the day. God is never far away.

In addition to prayer, we also need to intentionally set aside some time to rest. Creative inspiration most often comes when we are relaxing – taking a walk, listening to music, or daydreaming. God made us to work, to contribute to the world, and to love and serve others, but He also wanted us to take time to rest. This is why He gave us the third commandment. We are meant to have a Sabbath rest once a week. We can also take Sabbath moments each day. Taking even a 5-10 minute break in your day to do something you enjoy can refresh you and help you bring more energy to your creative efforts.

Prayer

Dear Jesus, help me to follow your example and to always make spending time with God a priority in my life.

Action

How can you make more time for prayer in your life? Today, make a concerted effort to spend more time conversing with God. 

This is an excerpt from The Work of Our Hands. (Amazon affiliate link)