10. Remember that short and sweet is okay
While some of us are blessed with the ability to carry on long heart to heart conversations with God and engage in lengthy meditation, some of us struggle to make it through just five minutes of prayer. If length of time for praying is holding you back from talking and listening to God, don’t worry. Saint Benedict said: “Prayer ought to be short and pure, unless it be prolonged by the inspiration of Divine grace.”
11. Work to drive the devil crazy
The one who loves that we shirk away from prayer is the devil. When we are aware of the voice of God, the nudging of the devil is easier to avoid. But when we neglect prayer and scripture, we are more susceptible to the words of the devil. Work so that the devil hates your prayer life.
Saint Anthony Abbot said: “The devil dreads fasting, prayer, humility, and good works: He is not able even to stop my mouth who speak against him. The illusions of the devil soon vanish, especially if a man arms himself with the Sign of the Cross. The devils tremble at the Sign of the Cross of our Lord, by which He triumphed over and disarmed them.”
12. Learn from temptations
We can pray against temptations, but sometimes God doesn’t remove them from our lives. Maybe during prayer, you are tempted to let your mind wander towards a situation from earlier on in the day, or think about what is for dinner. Don’t let the continued temptation hinder your prayer life. Instead, let it transform your prayer life by conterminously offering the temptations themselves to god.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote: “It often happens that we pray God to deliver us from some dangerous temptation, and yet God does not hear us but permits the temptation to continue troubling us. In such a case, let us understand that God permits even this for our greater good. When a soul in temptation recommends itself to God, and by His aid resists, O how it then advances in perfection.
