Hello Faith! Your question is more than worthwhile. I am more than happy to attempt to give you an answer.

Your Father was right when he said prayer is both an action and a position you take through your day. For example, how can you pray for God to cure you of the flu while drinking cups of cold water or taking ice cream during the day?  The very action defeats the prayer and does not put you in the right position to receive what you need from God.

Our walk with God is symbiotic. The Bible teaches us:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” - Philippians 2:12-13

Yes, behind our human will is the will of a spirit that is willing in us, and behind our human works and efforts are the works and efforts of a spirit in us. The spirit wills and works, but this will and work cannot be complete without our willingness and workings. How can we keep our minds on God throughout the day? These are things we will teach extensively during this programme, not to worry.

For now, however, I will say that we need to have “anchors” for our souls during the day. The mind is like a ship docked at a seaport; without something fastening it to the river's bedrock, it will drift into the boundless ocean and never return. We can use many things as anchors in our lives, which will be greatly addressed in Module 2: Cultivating a Meditative Life. I’ll share two simple anchors with you.‍

How you begin your day.

We must never underestimate the power of a decided mind. It sets the entirety of our being on a trajectory of energy and greatly influences the flow of our thoughts. It is worthwhile to begin your day with a resolution you say to yourself not just with prayers. You can say, “Today, I will remember my God in all my doings.”

• You don’t just say it; you must do it. You can remember your God by simply tidying your room after waking up.
• You can remember your God by the way you smile and give a greeting to your spouse, parent, or sibling.
• You can remember your God by the way you address people on your way to work and at work.

Everything that pertains to your day becomes a part of your worship to the Lord, and in doing so, the Lord is always at the forefront of your daily experience. All of this begins with the firm decision you make in your heart at the start of your day.

We jump out of bed many times without centring ourselves, not even realising that we are still saturated with the anxieties of the previous day. So, before our day begins, we are already stressed and mentally frazzled, and our peace is lost before we’ve even had the chance to experience it. Remembering God amid all your doings is a powerful way to anchor yourself to God in your daily endeavours.

Spiritual bus stops.

Another powerful anchor is what I call a spiritual bus stop. Observe how a bus travels a distance and stops to offload old passengers and pick up new ones. In the very same vein, we can have times in our day that can serve as “bus stops.” Once that time comes, we stop what we are doing and become intentionally mindful of God through prayer, contemplation of scripture, or worship.

Doing this helps us shift our gaze to the Lord, and connects us to a new and better kind of energy that can diffuse the negativities of the day. If our daily work life cannot afford us the time to pray or study, we can plug our earphones in and listen to a sermon or worship playlist.

As we listen, we allow the music not just to entertain us but also to centre us and remind us that we are vessels of God to express his nature and character. This way, the ship of our soul never ventures too far from the harbour, and we can always find our way back!