With the advent of ubiquitous mobile social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter within reach at a moment’s notice, many of us have taken to posting clever quips from our sporatic stream of consciousness, squeezed in to the cracks and micro-breaks throughout the busy day. Standing in line at the grocery store, for instance, or waiting for the light to change, or sitting on the toilet – these all become ideal opportunities to grab the mobile and update our status. “OMG! When did the price of carrots shoot up? I must have been hibernating all year!” Just in time for the cashier to ring up your produce sale. It stands to reason, then, that we should also apply these same new mobile technology techniques to our spiritual practices in the course of a busy day, posting little status updates to God. Why not take advantage of those same micro-breaks at work to channel some sort of spiritual booster into our stress-filled work days? I have taken to saying brief micro-prayers, cramming them into the cracks of all the in-between spaces of the work day – before sending an email, or transitioning to the next meeting, or taking a breath after that tough phone call. While many of us would find it difficult to pack in a concentrated devotional or a fall-on-the-knees prayer session in the office, there is no reason that we can’t stop from time to time to refocus our spiritual frame of reference. The prayer I have been using lately is paraphrased from Psalm 70:1 and it goes like this:
“Come to my help, Oh God. Lord, hurry to my rescue.”
Simple. Useful. Easy to whisper. Sometimes I repeat it, like a mantra. Not that I’m in trouble all the time, but there’s no question I could use the help all day. Getting into the habit of saying micro-prayers during your work day is a handy method for keeping you plugged in, incorporating spiritual practice into your work life. Take the opportunity to step back for a few moments today to call down some good grace on your situation.
