I recently wrote about the struggles of praying in a busy airport. Although seeking out a quite corner, my time of prayer was filled with an onslaught of visitors as soon as I began. Most notably was the angry man on the phone and window-peering mother and child. These visitors were seen as distractions, irritations that drove me away form my time of intimacy and connection with the Lord.

My reflection on this event was that prayer occurs amidst everyday life. Life crashes into our prayer-corner, I wrote.  Living a spiritually integrated life means that our time or prayer will naturally be met with things that distract us. We simply pray the best we can, with all the focus we can, for as long as we are able, trusting that Jesus’ grace surrounds us in the moment. If we need to pause our prayer to go answer the door, we do so; if we need to wait for a mother and child to clear the area before we continue, that’s ok. Prayer is not about avoiding distractions; it is about the emulsion of the Spirit into our lives.

I have continued to reflect on this event, and in doing so, have found another element of life-embedded prayer that I didn’t explore in the original post. If prayer occurs amidst an ordinary and distraction-laden life, then the apt question is, “How might we include these distractions into our prayers? Rather than treating each interruption as something that rips us away from Jesus, how might we embrace these distractions, even transform them, as tools for our devotion?

For example, what would have my prayers been like if, instead of being irritated, I had prayed for the mother and child? What if I had asked the Lord to bless them; to help them know that they were deeply loved? What if I prayed that the Holy Spirit bless the child with an inquiring and discerning heart, and a spirit to know Christ and love him?  What if I silently blessed them on their journey and prayed that the Spirit surround them and protect them? Might this have been a good expression of my evening devotion?

And what of the angry man on the cellphone? I could have prayed a prayer of peace over him. I could have asked God to surround whatever situation he was facing. I could have prayed that Jesus touch the man’s eyes to recognize the presence of grace, and touch his ears with a message of mercy and rest. I could have prayed that the Spirit confirm in his heart the reality of his own forgiveness and give him the boldness to extend that forgiveness outwards.

See, prayer isn’t just the rattling off of words – the more we say the better we pray! Nor is prayer the silent working of some liturgical form. Prayer is a conversation with the Lord about the life we live together. In other words, prayer is a response to the world as we meet it. If we believe that interruptions and distractions somehow thwart the dynamic of prayer, then we unwittingly suggest that our devotion to Christ is powerless against the world’s happenstances. We may even condemn ourselves for the time spent trying to thwart the onslaught of distraction.

But if these non-scripted moments of life simply present new things to include in prayer, then we find ourselves able to maintain devotion despite what occurs around us. Paul writes that we are the aroma of Christ. (2Corinthians 2:12-17). God uses us to spread the fragrance of the Gospel throughout the world, in ways far deeper than our own understanding. It is, therefore, reasonable to assume that others may find themselves drawn to such a glowing, even if they are not aware of it. Life crashes into our prayer-corner because the presence of Christ within that corner (and in us) invites life to itself.

Dear reader, do not be discouraged because of complication in prayer. Noticing those places where life buts into our devotions does not mean that our prayers are weak or shallow.  It may simply be that we are being invited to pray in a particular way – or for a particular person. So, the next time we find ourselves interrupted, may we be willing to put down our prayer-agenda and take up the needs, people, and situations the Lord presents to us in that moment.

Try this prayer practice: Enter a time of prayer without a set system or routine. Try not to use a book, liturgy, or definite form. Allow your prayers to be directed by what occurs around you. When something pops in your mind, or if a noise occurs around you, offer that to the Lord. Pray as life leads you. You may just be surprised at how deep your prayers will go!