What causes you to pray?  Reading Scripture, a church service, a request for prayer from a friend, a felt need, a fear, something you see, something you hear, a bell ringing?

What triggers you to pray?

Is it merely a reaction to circumstances? Is it only at your “regular” prayer times?

What if you added to your regular prayer times your intention to pray when something presents itself to your awareness?  In other words, you decide to  pray when you see or hear or otherwise become aware of a certain thing.

Let me give you a concrete example.

Several years ago I decided that as I commuted to and from work I would pray whenever I was approaching or stopped at a green traffic light and a red traffic light.  When I was approaching a green light I would pray, “Glory to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.”  When I was approaching a red light I would pray, :”Lord Jesus, have mercy.”  I saw it as a way to open myself to a prayer of gratitude or a prayer of protection and presence and to try to move toward the Scriptural encouragement to “pray without ceasing.”  It also helped me see commute time as a time for more than merely getting to and from the workplace.

What else might be a prayer trigger?

You no doubt can come up with other triggers and prayers that better connect with you than my examples.  And most important they would be your “call to prayer.”

How about it?  Do you want to “try out” a prayer trigger?