Spring is a special time of year. A time of new beginnings. A time for opening windows, turning soil, planting seeds.
It is also an ideal time for praying. In fact, prayer can be especially invigorating during this season by attaching it to three activities in particular.
1. Seed Prayers
Jesus once told a parable about a sower who scattered seeds on different types of soil. In His story, the seeds represented words (see Mark 4:14). So one way to pray this spring is to make the seeds you plant—whether in a planter, a garden or field—into prayers. You might attach a name to each seed, praying for a different person as you poke the seed into soil. Or you might pray a different prayer with each different kind of seed you plant—say, a prayer of praise as you plant flowers, intercession for others as you plant vegetables, etc.
2. Feed Prayers
Spring is also a great time to feed birds and other wild animals. So you may wish to fill your bird feeder as you pray, “God, just as you feed the birds of the air who do not sow or reap or store away in barns, please provide my family’s needs” (see Matthew 6:26). Or you might scatter bread or crackers for wildlife while praying for the hungry. Or donate to a food pantry or soup kitchen along with a prayer for those in need. Or better yet, volunteer as a cook or server at a feeding program near you.
3. Good Deed Prayers
One of the best prayers you can offer is to reach out and do something kind for another human being. Take a plate of cookies to a new neighbor with a prayer for their home on a note card. Visit a friend in the hospital or nursing home and pray (silently or audibly) for comfort and healing. Write and send a prayer to a service member on overseas duty. Pick up trash on a roadside or in a parking lot while praying Psalm 51:10 (“Create in me a clean heart, O God”). Call someone who is lonely. Leave an extra-generous tip for your restaurant server as a prayer for his or her well-being.
You may want to alternate “seed prayers,” “feed prayers” and “good deed prayers” over the course of the next few days or weeks. Or you may try to include one each in your routine every day. Whatever you choose, it takes just a little extra effort—and brings much extra blessing—to spring into prayer.
