Published on: 29/07/2025
When I think about how prayer helps me in my relationship with God, I often think about a line from an old hymn: ‘Come thou fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing thy grace’ (Robert Robinson, 1758). I play the harp, and if you’ve ever seen a harpist warming up to play, you will know they have to spend a considerable amount of time tuning each string to the perfect pitch before they start. Harps are so sensitive to temperature and movement that they often need re-tuning several times throughout the day.
I suppose this is why the image of God ‘tuning’ my heart to sing His grace resonates with me (no pun intended!). I allow God to ‘tune’ my heart by pausing throughout the day to spend time with Him in prayer. Starting the day with prayer (however brief!) helps me to set the tone for the day, and remember what’s really important. Pausing at regular intervals throughout the day to pray helps me to ‘re-tune’ and re-focus on God and what He is calling me to.
In our Diocese, we encourage everyone to think about how they are being Lights for Christ in the world today. We must first receive Christ’s light before we can share it with others. Our resources on developing a Personal Rule of Life encourage us to think about how we do this: how do we structure our lives so that spending time with God is our priority?
My own Personal Rule of Life has changed over the years according to the season I’ve been in. When and how I pray changes often, but prayer has always remained the basis of my daily pattern. Without it, I feel my focus slipping towards myself rather than towards God; I begin to rely on my own strength instead of His; as the hymn says, my heart is ‘prone to wander’ without regular re-tuning.
Does your heart need this regular re-tuning like mine? How do you re-focus on God throughout the day? Perhaps, like me, you could benefit from punctuating your day with prayer.
I’m not suggesting that prayer times must be fixed and formal (although this works for some). Prayer might happen in a quiet space, or it might happen whilst you are walking or travelling somewhere. You might pray alone or with others. You might use music or an app to help focus your thoughts. You might pray at a planned time or spontaneously when a need arises that you want to bring to God.
The joy of a Personal Rule of Life is that it is personal to you – we each have different rhythms and patterns, and the way prayer is woven into your life will be unique to you. If you would like to explore new ways of incorporating prayer into your life, I encourage you to have a look at the resources on our webpage about Receiving Christ’s Light. Additionally, the clergy at Sheffield Cathedral have shared their book recommendations on the theme of prayer in this Facebook post.
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18