Every morning, my health app gives me the bad news: my sleep quality is below average. It tracks the exact disruptions – waking up, using the restroom, and that bad habit of picking up the phone in the dark. The app always wraps up with suggestions to improve my rest.

It made me wonder: What if there was an app that analysed our communication with God?

If I’m being honest, my report card would read “below average.” Too often, my quiet time looks exactly like my disrupted sleep – shallow, interrupted, and fragmented by constant distractions. I struggle to sleep until I sleep. I need to learn how to pray until you pray.

What Does It Mean to Pray Until You Pray?

The legendary theologian A.W. Tozer addressed this exact problem. In his book, Tozer for the Christian Leader, he highlighted a vital spiritual rule set by Dr. Stuart Moody: you must learn to pray until you pray.

Tozer explained that most of us stop before we actually begin talking with God. We step up to the edge of the altar, go through the motions, tick the box, and rush off. We treat our devotion like a chore to get through so we can move on to things we think are more urgent, more important, or just more fun.

We aren’t actually connecting to God; we are just checking a daily task off our to-do list.

Why Staying in God’s Presence Matters

When you make the decision to pray until you pray, you commit to staying put until the spiritual static clears and you truly connect. This deep level of intentionality matters for three key reasons.

True Connection

Real communication with God isn’t a monologue of requests; it is an interactive relationship. You cannot build a deep relationship on rushed status updates.

Heart Alignment

Rushed devotion usually demands that God align with our agenda. It takes time and stillness to get aligned with God through prayers.

Active Waiting

The biggest spiritual breakthroughs happen in the waiting. When we stay in His presence past our initial restlessness, we give the Holy Spirit room to speak, convict, and comfort.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Ps 46:10)

Put the Devotional into Practice Today

Today, do not set a strict timer for your quiet time, and do not bring a long checklist of demands. Instead, pick one single area to talk to God about and stay there until you are genuinely engaged.

If your mind wanders to tomorrow’s tasks, pull it back. Do not rush to finish the conversation. Choose to pray until you pray, allowing superficial talking to finally transform into real communion.

I invite you to say this prayer.
Father, forgive me for treating our time together like a task to check off. Calm my restless mind and help me to put away the digital distractions tonight. Teach me to sit still, to listen to Your voice, and to truly pray until I connect deeply with You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.