Ridiculously Easy Bible & Prayer Habits
Last week I described Randy Ingermanson’s article Ridiculously Easy, in which he advocates doing the hard work of developing habits by starting at a level that is ridiculously easy. Last week I included five ideas for ridiculously easy Bible habits. This week I’d like to add five ridiculously easy prayer habits.
(1) Physical reminders. For years I watched Rich Boyd pepper his Denney’s eggs to a uniform blackness. Ever since, when I pepper my eggs I’ve prayed for Rich. I have several other physical prayer reminders: cleaning my water mug, a bit of origami, or a song linked to a person or need. I recommend this ridiculously easy habit.
(2) Calendar or App reminders. You use your phone for a lot of things, don’t you? Why not put prayer requests on your daily or weekly calendar, and receive push notifications? I’ve been enjoying a prayer app called “Echo” that does this ridiculously easy thing.
(3) Creation moment. At least once a day slow down long enough to catch a glimpse of the beauty of creation and praise God for it.
(4) Pray when the need is seen. This may be the hardest and most rewarding of these ridiculously easy suggestions. When someone talks to you about a need in their life or asks you to pray for them, pray, briefly, right then, with them, lifting the need up to God.
(5) Pray Scripture back to God. This can be ridiculously easy if you have a daily Bible habit. Take the verse in front of you and echo its praise back to God or pray about its application
(6) Cry out! When something, anything, grips your heart or captures your attention or needs to be done, cry out to God for help. The two most frequent prayers become “Oh Lord, help!” and “O Lord, let this work!” It’s ridiculously easy – but that’s the point, isn’t it?
