Why Can’t I Focus When I Pray? A Different Way to Spend Quiet Time With God
Updated: Sep 13
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters….
…did I remember to water the plants on the back porch?
…sorry, God. Back to what you were saying.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light…
…I need to add light bulbs to the grocery list. Why does that one light bulb burn out all the time. I need to call the electrician.
Oh, wait. Dang it. Sorry God. I’m back.
Before I know it, I’m 10 minutes into reading Scripture and have only made it through three verses.
It makes me feel guilty. I should be able to turn everything else off for 10 minutes and just focus on God, right?
But alas. I suck at it. My brain runs from one thing to the next. The more I get frustrated with it, the harder it is to concentrate.
This is not working for me.
If you’ve ever wondered, “Why can’t I focus when I pray?” you’re definitely not alone in asking the question.
Why Does My Mind Wander When I Pray?
I’ve asked myself this question so many times. My mind wanders constantly. Even when I was young and in school, it was a problem. I was an A student but I definitely had to find new ways to help me concentrate. As I’ve gotten older, that hasn’t changed.
For years, the advice I heard was to dedicate quiet time and remove distractions. I wish it were that simple for me. I always thought it meant that if I can shut myself in a quiet place and just concentrate on one problem - studying, budgeting, quiet time with God - that the noise would clear and I could concentrate on the moment.
I can’t speak for others, but for me it never worked. I would start off great but 30 seconds in, my mind was moving on to my to-do list, the conversation I had at work, or the busy calendar I have tomorrow.
Trying to transition from busy to quiet seemed impossible. Which, in turn translated, in my mind, that spending time with God … intentional time … seemed impossible.
If your mind wanders when you pray, it doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t care about your time with God. For me, the harder I tried to force myself to concentrate, the more frustrated and distracted I became. I eventually discovered that keeping my hands creatively occupied gave my thoughts somewhere to settle.
What If I’m Not Very Good at Sitting Still?
Sitting still is hard when your brain is constantly moving.
When I was in high school I remember that I did pretty well, but I was a doodler. Since I was a known artist in my school teachers just let me be me. I was lucky to have that opportunity.
When I hit college, learning and studying became harder. The racing of my brain became overwhelming some days. I even remember locking myself in my bathroom so the noise around me was lessened and I could study better.
As I got older I found my best thinking times to be when I was painting. I would solve a lot of work problems with a glass of wine and a paint brush late in the evening.
This made me realize I do better listening when I keep my hands busy. Funny enough I even started doodling a small series of sketches I called The Bored Room Drawings. In staff meetings I would doodle on the edge of my notes. They were completely random but always seemed to turn into animals.
It took me a long time to make the connection between keeping my hands busy and calming my brain.
Giving Your Hands Something to Do Can Change the Experience
I eventually realized the solution to my concentration problem was my art. It didn’t have to be this great masterpiece. It could even be a coloring book. But as I doodled, drew, or colored I could just talk to God. No agenda. No routine. Just talking to him friend to friend.
I had to let go of my expectations. I had to let go of everyone telling me to set a routine. I had to let go of conventional thoughts pushed at me making me think I’m doing my relationship with God wrong.
For me, I now see reading one verse…
Not 10.
Not a chapter.
One.
… while I color for 5 minutes or so and let my brain wander in a productive way. It relaxes me enough to be free to notice how my thoughts tie to the verse, and reflect on what that means to me personally.
This has grown my relationship so much more richly than trying to fit my brain into other people’s conventional expectations of my relationship with God.
This has been freeing for my soul.
Quiet Time Doesn’t Have to Look One Way
Are you like me? Trying to conform to conventional Bible studies and feeling like a failure at it?
Let’s start with this: you are not them. Your brain may not work like theirs and that’s ok. It's more than ok! It doesn’t make your time with God any less meaningful.
I want to say that your quiet time with God:
Doesn’t mean you have to get up at 5 a.m. to be alone in a quiet house.
Doesn’t mean you have to know the right words to say.
Doesn’t mean you have to spend an hour every day reading and praying.
Doesn’t mean He’s looking for a profound breakthrough every time.
Doesn’t mean your hands can’t be busy while you talk to Him.
Instead, give yourself permission to find time with God in ways that work with how your brain works and the rhythm of your life.
Try This the Next Time You Can’t Focus When You Pray
Here is something I would suggest you try the next time you’re ready to have quiet time with God.
Choose a short Scripture.
Put away the obvious distractions.
Pick up something simple to do with your hands—color, sketch, doodle, hand wash dishes, crochet, water your flower garden, etc.
Read the Scripture again while you work.
Pay attention to the word, thought or question you keep returning to.
Don’t ask, “Am I doing this right?”
Instead, ask, “What am I noticing?”
Give yourself permission to feel God’s presence in your daily life.
Why I Created Rooted & Blooming
My desire to grow my relationship with God—and finally understanding how much keeping my hands busy helped quiet everything else—led me to create Rooted & Blooming.
Rooted & Blooming is the 52-week Christian coloring journal I created to help me connect with God by disconnecting from some of the noise around me.
I created 26 hand-drawn botanical themes, each connected to Scripture and two weeks of thoughtful reflection prompts.
I wanted my coloring journal to direct me without forcing my thoughts. I wanted my brain to close out noise while I color and open up to hearing God's voice in my soul.
I still am amazed by the things I’m learning about myself and how much my relationship strengthens with each day I devote to Him.
I wasn’t looking for something to force my mind into stillness. I just needed to give it somewhere to land.
If your mind wanders like mine, and you wish you knew how to give it a place to land, check out What If I Let My Mind Wander During Prayer?
Want to See If This Works for You?
Try the first two weeks of Rooted & Blooming free.
Keep Exploring
If this way of spending time with God resonates with you, explore Awareness of God for more ways to notice His presence in everyday life, or start with Spiritual Meditation Through Creativity to see how creativity, reflection, and Scripture can work together as a daily spiritual practice.
Comments