My Problem With PrayerSample

My Problem with Prayer: I Get Distracted

Let’s be real. Prayer is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

You sit down to pray… and suddenly your brain decides it’s the perfect time to remember everything: the oil change you need, that awkward thing you said years ago, what’s for dinner… did you feed the dog? Sound familiar? Me too. You’re not the only one with Prayer ADHD.

Distraction is normal, so don’t be embarrassed by it. Embrace it. The disciples had it too, Jesus invited His closest friends to pray with Him in His darkest hour… and they fell asleep. (Matthew 26:41 NIV) That wasn’t a rebuke. That was compassion. He understood the battle. He was in the flesh, too.

Distractions are like weeds. They grow back. But every time you stop and refocus, you’re doing something that matters to God. He’s not counting how many times your mind wandered. He’s celebrating how many times you chose Him again. That’s why it’s called paying attention. Focus costs something. Focus is worship.

Maybe you don’t have a prayer problem, maybe you have an attention problem. We multitask everything: dishes + podcasts, scrolling + eating. The world has trained you to crave stimulation: short-form videos, endless scrolling, instant dopamine. Prayer, however, takes stillness, space, and thought. It feels hard at first because it’s retraining your soul.

Practice by doing one thing at a time. You can retrain your focus. When you sit down to eat, just eat. At a stoplight, don’t pick up your phone, practice sitting there, stopped. Pray. Just pray.

And let’s not forget: we have an Enemy. In 1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV, Satan was against Israel, and he planted the thought. That’s how he fights: through thoughts. The moment you sit down to pray, he goes to war. He doesn’t mind if you work. He just can’t let you pray.

So what do you do? Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV). Call out the lies.

Sometimes we even get distracted by what we need to do after prayer. In Luke 10:38-42 NIV, Martha was doing good things: serving guests, loving people, and cleaning. But she missed the better thing: being with Jesus. Even good things can become distractions when they take the place of Jesus.

Distractions reveal what we love, trust, and fear. There’s something we trust more than God. Something we fear more than Him. Something we love more than Him.

But today is your moment to take it back. Name it. Repent. Say with your attention: “There’s nothing I love, trust, or fear more than God.”