FOCUS: Overcoming Distractions in the Place of Prayer.

By Jinadu Ibukun

In my previous post, I focused on sustaining a lifestyle of prayer. One of the greatest enemies of a consistent prayer life is distraction. In a world filled with noise, notifications, and nonstop activity, staying focused in the place of prayer has become a spiritual discipline that must be learned and guarded.

Distractions don’t always show up as sinful activities, sometimes, they simply could be house chores, social media news, overwhelming schedules, or a promotion at work. The enemy doesn’t always need to stop you from praying; he just needs to make you too busy or too distracted to be effective.

How Do We Overcome Distraction During Prayer?

1. Create a Dedicated Prayer Environment

I am a firm believer that prayer can occur on the go, but your environment matters. Creating a space when you pray that is quiet, clean, and free from social media interruptions, trains your mind to recognize that time in that space is sacred.

• Matthew 6:6 – Jesus encouraged us to go into our “inner room” and shut the door, which guides our focus and intentionality when praying.

• Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.” Stillness in prayer helps silence distractions and ushers one into God’s presence.

2. Start with Worship and Thanksgiving

Sometimes we pray and our mind begins to wander, we begin to think about tasks we are yet to complete or what we want to have for dinner and the likes. Start your prayer with a worship song. I have come to understand that worship is a weapon against wandering thoughts, and thanksgiving to God repositions your focus from your problems to God’s Faithfulness.

• Psalm 100:4 – “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” I believe gratitude opens the heart to deep intimacy and the ability to recognize God's love.

3. Write Your Prayers Down

I always have a journal, not because I am a writer or that I love writing, but I realize that having a prayer journal helps keep my mind focused on conversing with God. Writing your thoughts to God can create a deep sense of intentionality and limit drifting thoughts.

• Habakkuk 2:2 – “Write the vision and make it plain” This is one of my favourite scriptures, I always go back and tick off prayers that God answered in my journal with thanksgiving, even though this scripture is often used for goal setting, I believe this principle also applies to intentional prayer.

4. Practice Scriptural Meditation

This is one favourite thing I love to do before praying. I read a scripture, and I pause and begin to break down the verses in my mind. Start your prayer with a verse that speaks to your current need or season and meditate on it. Scripture redirects your mind to God’s truth and minimizes internal distraction.

• Psalm 1:2 – The righteous man “meditates day and night” on the law of the Lord. I have come to understand that meditation positions your heart to pray in alignment with God’s will.

5. Set a Specific Time and Duration for Prayer

My phone is filled with prayer alarms, discipline breeds depth. When you consistently set aside time for prayer, your mind and spirit become trained, and you become conscious of your prayer time.

• Daniel 6:10 – Daniel prayed three times a day, that his prayer caused his enemies to rise up against him, he could have easily been distracted but he had built a lifestyle of prayer that his consistency helped crush the distraction of his enemies.

6. Guard Your Mind Before and After Prayer

Most Importantly guard your heart and mind, as what you feed your mind affects your ability to focus. Avoid distractions like social media, gossip, or overwhelming news before your prayer time.

• 2 Corinthians 10:5 – “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Honestly not every thought is worth entertaining.

CONCLUSION

I will conclude this post with the understanding that a distracted heart cannot host divine communion. If we truly desire a rich and consistent prayer life, we must be intentional about protecting our focus and creating space for undivided fellowship with God. Distraction is not just a mental issue, it is a spiritual one and we must be intentional with discipline, devotion, and the consciousness to receive help from the Holy Spirit.

Let your time with God be non-negotiable, in the secret place, and undistracted. You will find clarity, strength, and direction. May God continually help us and strengthen us in the place of prayer, Amen.