Deuteronomy 6

It can be easy for us to fall into negative habits; but positive ones, however, seem to require a special effort; recommend focusing, rewarding success, setting reminders, and above all, being consistent. In many ways, this last one is the most important: if you’re going to change the way you live and behave, you need to be consistent.  Making new habits is a lot easier if it’s something you do consistently: ideally, every day!

No one reminds me to take a shower, brush my teeth, or eat breakfast.  Why?  Because they are things I do every day, nearly without fail!  But what if we were to add to our habits not just cleanliness and eating, but communication with God, as well?  What if we were to add a “daily prayer” to our repertoire? 

There are dozens of apps, websites, books, and videos out there focused on this exact thing: encouraging us to create a “daily prayer” routine.  We find common calls to pray things like “the Lord’s Prayer”, or pre-written prayers made available by other devotional sites.  I’d say I wonder what our Lord would say about such behaviors, but I believe he’s already told us:

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7-8)

While thoughtless and repetitive prayers are justifiably warned against, there is something to be said for the value of improving our prayer life.