Wonderful topic for conversation morefaithrequired.
I need to work at my prayer life. Routine and ritual has its place in my opinion, having specific times/places for things can help greatly so long as the meaning isn't lost and it becomes simply putting a tick in a box, as in: "there....that's taken care of".
My challenge is with my schedule, perhaps others face difficulties similar to my own. I work 12 hour shifts that rotate between days and nights. 5 shifts of 7:30 PM to 7:30 AM followed by 5 days off, then 5 shifts of 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM followed by another 5 days off...rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. I've been on this schedule for over 4 years now and it wears me out at times.
For a while I would kneel at my bedside and pray....counting my blessings, asking for help for myself and others. Lately though, its hard. Sometimes I'm so dog tired I simply fall into bed and its lights out, knowing that I have another 12 hour shift coming up. I do read the Bible pretty much every day, and I have Christian music on in the car and home.....but to me, that's different from actual prayer. I'm often thinking about God and Biblical teaching....but again, that's not the same as getting on my knees and humbling myself before my Lord and Saviour.
Happy Sunday in any case. I have been greatly blessed this year....I love going to worship, and so far in 2019 whenever I have been on shift on a Sunday I've been excused to go to church...there's only been one time where the staffing level didn't allow for it. I'm on nights now and getting off work at 7:30 am, but I almost always make it to the 10 am service.....