Wandering thoughts during prayer

[stuk_ina_moment]

When I pray a lot of times my mind will wander around. I try hard to focus on the prayer and I’ve tried many things. One of the most efficient things I’ve done is slowing down the prayer. But my question is does my wandering mind invalidate the prayers or make them any less meaningfull?

 

[agnes_therese]

No, not when your wandering mind is involuntary. God understands our hearts. You should read St. Teresa of Avila’s “Way of Perfection.” When I came to the part where she talks about people whose minds are like “wild horses,” I almost dropped the book – she was born almost 500 years ago, and she knows me so well!

 

[addilovesgoats]

No, not when your wandering mind is involuntary. God understands our hearts. You should read St. Teresa of Avila’s “Way of Perfection.” When I came to the part where she talks about people whose minds are like “wild horses,” I almost dropped the book – she was born almost 500 years ago, and she knows me so well!

Yes indeed!

My mind wonders a lot. One of the ways I combat this is that I write my prayers in a journal. Writing has always been something that relieves stress and that I can focus on easily. As an adult I can’t say I would be overly concerned if anyone were to find the journal. While it is a very personal thing to me, I don’t have anything to hide. The worse thing that would happen in my opinion is that the snooper would find out how often and earnestly I seek The Lord. Yes they might find out some of my deepest desires, and that I am far far FAR from perfect. Perhaps something there would inspire them to a deeper relationship with HIM, and get on their heart about peeping in places they shouldn’t. If they were somehow disturbed by something they read and decided to end their friendship, I would simply figure it to be HIS will, and that HE will bring someone I need into my life when the time is right.

 

[Little_One0307]

When I pray a lot of times my mind will wander around. I try hard to focus on the prayer and I’ve tried many things. One of the most efficient things I’ve done is slowing down the prayer. But my question is does my wandering mind invalidate the prayers or make them any less meaningfull?

I am praying interior short prayer. At times my mind wanders. At first I would get frustrated because I felt like it did make my prayers less meaningfull. Yet my SD told me this, that when you find your mind wondering, just simply and gently bring back your attention back onto God and your prayer. Just because your mind wanders does not invalidate the prayer. It can and does make prayer harder when we get frustrated when our minds wander. They will do that. Just let the thoughts come and go. The goal here is if by the grace of God, God can give us that state where we are in a state of contemplative prayer, that deep Union with God where time fades away and His Presence is overpowering.

Another thing that I have learned is to pray from the heart. *. I say my short phrase from the place where I love God and my friends. It’s called Mind in the Heart prayer. I am not sure if you are familiar with it. I pray my short prayer at times with a chotki [hope I spelled that right] which helps sometimes.

And also ask for the grace of a deeper prayer life with God. Ask for his help so that you can focus on your prayer with Him more.

God bless.*

 

[trials]

As I understand it, it’s part of human nature, God gave us these minds that whiz and whir, but the very fact that we choose to spend time with God in prayer is what matters. We can even include these distractions in our prayers, for example if someone we know pops into our head, pray for them. If the distractions are very trivial matters, we just re-focus on our prayer and move on.

The worst thing to do is stress over them, then we will feel agitated in our prayer, or feel like we’re failing - success and failure are criteria that we shouldn’t really apply to prayer. Failure in prayer is basically when we give up praying.

Finally - the best advice on distractions I EVER read is at the following link - read the page and in particular the story about the mother and the little boy, it has stuck with me for a loong time:

stgemmagalgani.com/2009/08/distractions-in-prayer-praying-with.html

 

[EmeraldWings]

When I pray a lot of times my mind will wander around. I try hard to focus on the prayer and I’ve tried many things. One of the most efficient things I’ve done is slowing down the prayer. But my question is does my wandering mind invalidate the prayers or make them any less meaningfull?

not at all, you’re prayers can never be invalid unless you are praying for something sinful or praying without any intention of repent, but un-willful distractions are normal, and as Saint Francis De Sales tells us, even if we spend all our time in prayer fighting distractions, then it was prayer well spent.
most people struggle with distractions, even the saints did, it’s part of our human nature, and it’s nothing to be worried about, the only time you should worry is if you don’t care to make an effort to fight them,
but the only things you can really do is, persevere in fighting your distractions without ceasing, and ask God to give you the grace to do so.
but other than that, what will help you to diminish your distractions is to just grow in the spiritual life and grow in your love for God, because the more you give your heart over to God and detach it from wordy and creaturely concerns, then the more you will find yourself thinking of God without so many distractions.

here are a few books i would recommend to help you with this and any other prayer concerns you may have, along with lots of other advice on prayer and meditation -
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/840
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/744
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/697

alright, hope this helps, take care.

 

[stuk_ina_moment]

Thanks guys

 

[kitkatty]

I am praying interior short prayer. At times my mind wanders. At first I would get frustrated because I felt like it did make my prayers less meaningfull. Yet my SD told me this, that when you find your mind wondering, just simply and gently bring back your attention back onto God and your prayer. Just because your mind wanders does not invalidate the prayer. It can and does make prayer harder when we get frustrated when our minds wander. They will do that. Just let the thoughts come and go. The goal here is if by the grace of God, God can give us that state where we are in a state of contemplative prayer, that deep Union with God where time fades away and His Presence is overpowering.

Another thing that I have learned is to pray from the heart. *. I say my short phrase from the place where I love God and my friends. It’s called Mind in the Heart prayer. I am not sure if you are familiar with it. I pray my short prayer at times with a chotki [hope I spelled that right] which helps sometimes.

And also ask for the grace of a deeper prayer life with God. Ask for his help so that you can focus on your prayer with Him more.

God bless.*

I sure am familiar with what you call Mind In The Heart Prayer, it is called in Eastern Christianity Hesychismand is the way the Jesus prayer should be said.Any prayer said like this is very good. Simple, concentrating on the words of the prayer, and right from the heart. Being one with a problem of focusing on prayer this has the added benefit of actually helping me to focus.

 

[kitkatty]

Little One, yup you spelled chotki right!:thumbsup:Also arosary will work as well for this.

 

[Little_One0307]

I sure am familiar with what you call Mind In The Heart Prayer, it is called in Eastern Christianity Hesychismand is the way the Jesus prayer should be said.Any prayer said like this is very good. Simple, concentrating on the words of the prayer, and right from the heart. Being one with a problem of focusing on prayer this has the added benefit of actually helping me to focus.

Kitkatty,

Yep you are absolutely right and guess who introduced me to it, my SD/Confessor who is a Roman Rite. He loves the Eastern prayer practices and my life has been tremendously blessed because of it. I could not think of the H word, and was hoping that someone could post what it is. Thanks.

I have found that this prayer seems to be the best for me, as I get way to distracted on meditative prayer or vocal prayer.

God bless.

 

[Edward_H]

Keep struggling and smiling, knowing that you make God a happy Father, seeing His child struggle to talk to Him.

Struggle is good, for many reasons.

It won’t always be hard and inefficient…it may again get difficult, but that’s ok too.