God tells us to be alert for prayer.¹ He also tells us to put him first.² I was struggling to obey these two commands, because when I came home from work, I was so tiered, that if I tried to force my mind to think hard, during prayer, I would get a headache. But I didn’t want to take a nap first, because I wanted to honor God with the firstfruits of my time.³ God opened my eyes to see that, just like the day before a wedding, the groom tries to get a good night sleep for the big day, along with many other preparations. God wants us to prepare for being alert, by sleep or making sure we have a distraction free time, or finding a paper to write down what God teaches us, or whatever else God might be showing us would be useful during prayer. When I rest for the purpose of praying better, I am giving God the firstfruits of my time, because I’m not resting for selfish reasons, even though I highly enjoy a nap! God also showed me it’s ok to say quick prayers, and it’s all right if we just mumble a few things to him, when we’re tired.

① Colossians 4:2 / Hebrews 5:7    ② Matthew 22:37 / Matthew 6:33    ③ Proverbs 3:9