How to Concentrate During Prayer

It can be difficult to pray to God when your mind is distracted by something else. It might be something that is bothering you, making you worry, or in some cases, it can be the people around you, or the noises surrounding you. Whatever the case may be, you’re here because you are struggling to concentrate on your prayer time. So, how do you concentrate on God without getting distracted by other things?

 

As mentioned in the article “How to Overcome Distractions in Prayer,” it is easier to focus on God, to have less distractions, and concentrate on your communion and fellowship with Him when you are fully consumed by Him, in love with Him, and deeply into God in Christ Jesus, such that the lesser things don’t matter. When you have a deep bond and relationship with God, even your distractions can become prayers. A deeper relationship with God is the key for you to be able to concentrate more during prayer. After all, your goal is not to concentrate on your prayer, but on Him to whom you are praying. Your focus should be on God, not on your ability to pray.

 

As practical tips, here are some of the things you can do to concentrate during your prayer time:

1. Fix your eyes on Jesus and on who God truly is, more than on your ability to pray to Him. This gives you that vision of talking to a Person when praying, instead of thinking about the things you need to pray for that mostly cause the mind to get sidetracked and distracted by other things.
2. When you are distracted, whatever it is, confess that to God. Tell Him about what’s distracting you and bothering you. In this way, your mind returns back to God when you talk to Him.
3. When a place is too noisy and you can’t concentrate on talking to God, find a way to access nature and quietness. Nature also brings in the presence of God, because everything on Earth is created by God.
4. Read God’s Word a lot. Yes, in order to have a deep relationship with God, you must spend more time reading His Word than anything else. God’s Word reveals the Father’s heart, His principles, and His ways, as well as the things He likes and dislikes. The Scripture is like God’s autograph. So, to know God more is to know His Word more deeply.
5. You can train yourself every day to enter stillness and quietness of mind and heart by meditating on God’s Word and talking to Him. You can do a once-a-day Scripture, talk to God about it, and meditate on His promise, no matter where you are. In this way, concentrating won’t be a problem for you when it comes to outside noises because you have trained yourself to be in the presence of God wherever you are.
6. Learn to embrace your physical surroundings, rather than resist them. Sometimes, when you resist your environment, become irritated by noises, by people, or by other distractions, you won’t be able to concentrate on your prayer. However, if you embrace and accept what’s around you and learn to exist in the presence of God without thinking about anything else, what can truly stop you from praying to God?

These are some practical tips that you can practice to try and improve your relationship with God, resulting in better concentration during prayer. Here is a short prayer for you to concentrate more during prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You, for I was made for love. You are here to love me and show Your heart to me. It is Your desire for me to know You more. The more I know You, the more I can focus on You and enjoy my fellowship with You. I open my heart, God. Teach me more about You. I want to know You more and have a deeper relationship with You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

How do I clear my mind for prayer?

 

To clear your mind for prayer means letting go of what’s distracting you by surrendering it to God. Most often, believers are distracted and can’t concentrate on their communication with God when something is bothering them. It can be about anything, from the smallest worries to major problems in life, such as the movie or series you recently watched, your pet getting sick, being unable to spend more time with God, a financial crisis, family problems, a problem with someone you don’t like or who doesn’t like you, and so many other things. When these things are unsettled and unsurrendered, they usually surface when it’s time to pray and talk to God.

Why does that happen? God may allow such a thing to happen in order to reveal to us the unsurrendered matters in our lives. 1 Peter 5:7 commands us to cast our anxieties upon the Lord, because He cares for us. It is not a bad thing to recognize your lack of focus and concentration on God during prayer. It only means that you finally realize the things you need to surrender to God. As mentioned earlier, distractions can become prayers.

 

The Father is saying, “What’s distracting you, my child? I am here. I will listen to all of it.” When you can’t concentrate on your prayer, you can tell God, “Lord, I can’t concentrate right now. Can you help me? Will you reveal to me the things that are making me distracted?”

 

Our God in Christ Jesus is such a good Father. He doesn’t punish us for our weaknesses or condemn us for being distracted. He is here to relate with us, to commune with, and to have fellowship with us.

 

More than you being able to follow all the rules and practices, God wants your heart. He wants your authenticity, honesty, and integrity. He wants you to have a real relationship with Him!