Have you ever started a new prayer routine with the best intentions, only to give up a few weeks later? Maybe life got busy, your schedule changed, or prayer stopped feeling meaningful. You wanted to spend more time with God, but somewhere along the way, the habit slipped away.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
In the final message of my Learning to Pray sermon series, “Persistence in Prayer,” we explored Jesus’ parable of the widow in Luke 18:1–8. Jesus tells this story to encourage his disciples to keep praying and not give up. But the point isn’t that we must keep bothering God until God finally gives us what we want. Rather, Jesus invites us to trust God’s goodness and justice, even when answers don’t come quickly.
One of the most important lessons about prayer is that consistency matters more than intensity.
Prayer isn’t a technique we master or a spiritual performance we have to get right. It’s a relationship with God that grows over time through ordinary faithfulness. Like any meaningful relationship, it develops as we keep making room for it in our everyday lives.
Of course, there will be seasons when prayer feels natural and meaningful, and others when it feels dry, difficult, or unproductive. There will be days when we feel especially close to God and days when we struggle to pay attention. Yet our relationship with God doesn’t depend on how we feel at any given moment.
And when we fall out of the habit of praying, we don’t have to beat ourselves up or get stuck in shame. We can simply start again.
A Simple Invitation: Five Minutes a Day
To help you put these ideas into practice, I’ve prepared a free 5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide.
Each day includes a Scripture reading, a brief devotional reflection, a question for personal reflection, and a practical exercise to help you establish a sustainable rhythm of prayer.
Over five days, we’ll explore God’s constant presence, the importance of perseverance, why faithfulness matters more than intensity, how to respond when prayer feels dry, and the grace of beginning again.
You don’t need an elaborate spiritual routine or an hour of uninterrupted silence. Just find a few minutes each day to notice God’s presence, reflect on Scripture, and offer one honest prayer.
My hope is that this devotional will help you see that prayer isn’t another obligation to add to your already busy schedule. It’s an invitation to nurture a relationship with the God who is already present, already loving you, and always inviting you into deeper communion.
Five minutes a day. One honest prayer. Keep showing up.
Because prayer isn’t something we learn once and then set aside. It’s a relationship we nurture for a lifetime.
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