How to Pray in the Ordinary Season (When Nothing Feels Spiritual)
It is the middle of July. The dramatic, emotionally resonant seasons of Easter and Pentecost are far behind you in the rearview mirror. The choir is not singing triumphant hymns, the church calendar is wonderfully uncrowded, and you have not had a major spiritual breakthrough in weeks. If you are entirely honest, your prayer life right now feels a bit like talking to a blank wall. You sit down to pray, your mind wanders to your grocery list, and you end up feeling a vague sense of spiritual guilt. Maybe you wonder if you're doing something wrong, or if God is somehow distant because you don't feel that spark. But I want to assure you that you are not failing at faith. You are simply in Ordinary Time.
In the traditional church calendar, Ordinary Time is the longest season of the year. Spanning the long, green months of summer and early autumn, it is not a gap between the "important" seasons. Rather, it is the season where most of our actual lives are lived. It is the season of packing lunches, paying bills, commuting to work, and folding laundry. And God is profoundly interested in meeting you right there. He isn't only present in the mountaintop moments or the fiery spiritual experiences; He is also deeply present in the mundane, the repetitive, and the everyday. Imagine God walking with you beside the kitchen sink, listening to your thoughts as you fold clothes, or sitting quietly with you in the car during your daily drive. This is where your relationship with God grows in the soil of simple faithfulness.
We often fall into the trap of believing that prayer is only real if it is accompanied by deep emotional resonance. You might think that unless you feel inspired, uplifted, or overwhelmed by the presence of God, your prayer isn't "working." But if you look at the life of Jesus, you will see a man who prayed in the ordinary rhythms of His day. He prayed early in the morning before the crowds arrived. He prayed while walking on dusty roads. The Psalms, which served as the prayer book of Jesus, are filled with ordinary prayers for protection, provision, and peace. Jesus' prayer life reminds you that prayer is not a mood you have to manufacture; it is a practice you simply step into. When you don't feel it, that's okay. Prayer isn't about your feelings--it's about your faithfulness.
If your prayer life feels dry, the best response is not to try harder to feel something, but to change the form of your practice. You might begin your day with a simple morning offering, taking sixty seconds before you check your phone to dedicate the hours ahead to God. This small moment can set the tone for your entire day. Instead of rushing into your to-do list, you pause and say, "God, I give you this day." As you move through your day, you can practice breath prayers--inhaling a truth like "The Lord is my shepherd," and exhaling "I have all that I need." This gentle rhythm of breathing in God's promises and breathing out your trust can ground you in His presence even amid a busy schedule.
You can also take a prayer walk through your neighborhood, intentionally asking God to bless the homes and people you pass by. Imagine turning your casual stroll into a sacred pilgrimage--each house a reminder of God's love reaching into every corner of your world. This simple act connects your faith to your surroundings, transforming the ordinary into the sacred. At the end of the day, you might practice the prayer of examen, simply looking back over the last twelve hours and asking God to show you where He was present. This isn't about finding big spiritual moments but about recognizing the small, quiet ways God has been near--in a kind word, a moment of peace, or even a challenge you faced. Or you might keep a small intercessory list on your nightstand, bringing the names of three friends before the Lord before you sleep. This act of intercession invites you to carry the needs of others gently into the night, trusting God with their care.
These are not grand, dramatic gestures. They are quiet, faithful rhythms. They may seem small or even invisible, but they are the steady heartbeat of a prayer life that endures. Think of them like the steady drip of rain that nourishes the roots of a tree, unseen but essential for growth. In these ordinary acts of prayer, you are growing deeper roots in God's love.
This long season of Ordinary Time holds a beautiful invitation. This is the space where your character is actually formed. The great saints of the faith were not made entirely in moments of dramatic revelation; they were forged in the quiet, unglamorous faithfulness of showing up every single day, whether they felt like it or not. Their lives were shaped not just by ecstatic experiences but by the discipline of ordinary devotion. You are being invited into that same formation. God is using these ordinary days to shape you, to teach you patience, trust, and endurance. When you lean into this season, you join a long line of faithful people who have learned that holiness often grows quietly, in the background of everyday life.
I invite you to lean into the quiet rhythms of this season. Join the Fixed-Hour Prayer challenge or begin the School of Prayer reading plan in Faithline. These resources can provide gentle structure and encouragement as you build your prayer life in the ordinary. Let go of the pressure to perform, to have the "right" words, or the "right" feelings. Instead, let your ordinary days become a gentle, ongoing conversation with the God who loves you. Your faithfulness in these moments is precious, and God is listening. The ordinary is not a spiritual dead zone--it is fertile ground for grace. So take a deep breath, quiet your mind, and step into the sacred rhythm of prayer in your everyday life.