{"id":1380,"date":"2014-10-04T01:01:29","date_gmt":"2014-10-04T01:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=1380"},"modified":"2014-10-02T18:14:24","modified_gmt":"2014-10-02T18:14:24","slug":"a-praying-spirit-how-long-oh-lord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2014\/10\/a-praying-spirit-how-long-oh-lord.html","title":{"rendered":"A Praying Spirit: How long, oh, Lord?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image courtesy of Franky242\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How long is just right when it comes to prayer time? We have so many suggestions to choose from! Some of our friends might say they set aside a few minutes a day to pray, putting this time into their schedules as they would doctor’s appointments or other commitments. In Scripture, Paul writes about “constantly” thanking God (a form of prayer – 1 Tim 2:13), and the Psalmist says, “With y whole being I sing endless praises to you. O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks.” (Psalm 30:13)<\/p>\n

We know that God already knows the prayers in our hearts, the needs in our lives. He knows, too, what our intention is when we pray – that is, where our mind and heart is truly focused. And that, I think, is the point.<\/p>\n

We can pray “constantly,” but not be intent upon furthering our relationship with God. We might be distracted, even as we tick off the needs on our prayer lists or the beads on our Rosary.<\/p>\n

We can set aside five, ten, fifteen minutes “for prayer,” but be so tired or distracted by our worldly needs that we aren’t present or in the presence of God for even five, ten, or fifteen seconds.<\/p>\n

For today, and in your prayer throughout the week ahead, concentrate on finding time, however long or short, when you know you’ll be alert, attentive, and focused on one thing: Talking with God.<\/p>\n

The amount of time doesn’t really matter. But the quality of that time does!<\/p>\n

Joy and peace,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How long is just right when it comes to prayer time? We have so many suggestions to choose from! Some of our friends might say they set aside a few minutes a day to pray, putting this time into their schedules as they would doctor’s appointments or other commitments. 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. Through the blog, she hopes to bring issues of health, wellness, and spirit into focus and, especially, inspire others that, no matter what health challenges, illness, or hardships they endure, each person can find a good way to realize the wonderful potential God has placed within each heart and soul.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.maureenpratt.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/author\/mpratt"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1381,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1380\/revisions\/1381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}