College can be one of the most disorienting times in your life and creating a schedule can seem like an uphill battle in the juggle of work, social life, faith, and homework! So it’s understandable if your everyday prayer time falls under your radar sometimes. Not to worry, it happens! But just to help, we have created 5 great tips for increasing your prayer life while in college.
1. Have grace in your prayer life
It is absolutely ok that sometimes when you are trying to finish an eight page paper or be a good friend to someone, prayer is not on the top of your mind. Prayer and devotion is an intentional time to connect with the Lord.
Learning to be less harsh with yourself about the quantity of time spent with the Lord and focusing on quality is really important in making your prayer life intentional rather than something on a checklist you need to cross off at the end of the day. College life varies from day to day so it makes sense that sometimes things change last minute and you can accordingly adjust your schedule. Prayer time can usually be a lot more flexible than a class assignment deadline.
2. Attend prayer meetings
North Central University hosts weekly prayer meetings at various times almost everyday of the week! Getting plugged into campus prayer ministries can be a really helpful tool in increasing your prayer life while in college since these are event based and you can be around like-minded people praying for similar things! This also helps you to get out of your comfort zone in praying for other people or focusing on specific topics that you might not otherwise pray for if you were by yourself.
3. Make it part of your routine
Once you get settled into college life, you are able to see patterns in your daily life that can help you create a daily routine. If you discover you are a night owl, maybe you plan to have prayer time in the evening right before you go to bed. Or maybe you are an early riser and have the ability to make it part of your morning routine! Whatever the case is, routines can be really helpful in taking inventory of the things you have to do and maximizing your minutes.
4. Figure out how you pray
Developing your prayer life can also look like figuring out how you pray best. For some it is talking audibly, and others it might be journaling. Whatever medium you feel most comfortable in talking to God, make that part of your day! Figuring out how you best communicate to God can make increasing your prayer life in college a meaningful experience.
5. Pray during transition times in your day
When it comes college life, the hustle is real and sometimes finding a block of time in your daily schedule can prove to be quite difficult. If this is the case for you, finding quiet times that are already built into your day can make great prayer time. Instead of listening to music on your commute to work, maybe choose to talk to God during that time. This can also help you reset for whatever you are doing next and walk in with a clear mind and peaceful heart.
Transitioning into college life can mean that your regular routines get turned upside down. Luckily there is a lot of grace for that and by implementing some or all of these tips, you are on your way to increasing your prayer life in college!
