Study 5. Rhythm

About a year ago, I started skipping—jumping rope. Nothing flashy, just plodding along in my back garden on the patio. The idea was that as a busy family person, I needed to find time for some kind of fitness. Rapidly approaching 40, I decided that by 40, I’d be the fittest version of myself ever.

As time went on, I was skipping every morning for 10 minutes, then in the evening for another 10. Gradually, both the time and the tricks increased—sorry, I mean the additional skipping moves. In the end, I was skipping 30 minutes in the morning, 30 in the evening, throwing in as many double unders and crossovers as I could.

So what? You might be wondering—what does this have to do with praying?

In the Bible, time and again, we see Jesus setting a rhythm in prayer. It’s important to remember that Jesus did and said many things for the benefit of those around Him. When people were healed just by touching His clothing or when He prayed out loud in public, Jesus explained or made it public, even when He didn’t really have to. The point was, we needed to see it.

Often, the Bible tells us that Jesus’ disciples—His mates—would wake up or go looking for Him, only to find that Jesus had withdrawn somewhere alone to pray. Early in the morning, on walks, or by Himself on mountains, Jesus was building a rhythm of prayer.

By establishing this rhythm, Jesus was showing His friends the model: “Do it like this, lads.” I honestly think it was that simple. We don’t need to get all technical or complicated; we just follow what Jesus was doing—a rhythm of prayer.

Now, you might not have a mountain. Maybe you work night shifts or start your day at 5 am, so praying exactly like Jesus did might be tricky. You might find that even when you get the time and space, your mind drifts to work, family, or what’s for breakfast.

Back to jumping rope—persevere. There’s an element to this that might seem deeply unspiritual, and that’s OK. Sometimes, prayer means you just stop bumbling along half-heartedly and keep going. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to praying and the things you want to talk to God about. Simple.

Use a prayer guide or format to help you pray, and be creative about it. If you struggle to find time, get creative. For a while, I was hooked on EastEnders (a terrible TV show for any readers outside the UK). I decided to use my EastEnders time for prayer. Sorted.

The times I’ve just kept going, refusing to give up—even when I missed days or messed up my routine—have been some of the closest moments in my walk of faith with God. Sometimes it’s about being resilient, even when prayer feels dry or pointless. Set a good rhythm.