3 Ways to Cultivate Prayer Habits for Police Wives

This is a guest post by author and fellow police wife, JJ Gutierrez.

The police wife’s life is a lot like a roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs. Some days life is good. Your LEO is home on time all week, his re-entry from his shift to home life is smooth and your relationship is experiencing closeness and connection. Then, there are other days, when life is hard and challenging. Unexpected over-time, the pressure of raising kids and making family decisions alone and dealing with his “less than pleasant” attitude can leave you feeling frustrated and resentful. How can wives manage the ebb and flow of the police lifestyle?

A powerful tool to enduring the ups and downs of the police wife’s life is prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God. Nothing more and nothing less. Yet, too often, prayer is the last thing we do. When things are going right, it’s easy to forget to pray because we are busy enjoying life. When things are going wrong, emotions like worry, fear and discouragement take front and center leaving us doing everything else except praying. Consistent prayer habits for police wives is important when navigating this lifestyle.

The Bible says, “Pray at all times and on every occasion” (Ephesians 6:18) and for good reason.

Prayer is the vehicle to constant communication with God. Talking to God all the time doesn’t mean we are on our knees 24/7 because that is unrealistic. However, it does mean having an attitude of prayer by making prayer a habit. Starting and ending each day with prayer is a great way to develop a daily mindset of prayer. It helps us to focus on attention on God and His goodness while unleashing all our worries and fears to Him.

Here are 3 Ways to Cultivate Prayer Habits for Police Wives:

Morning Coffee with God

Instead of drinking your morning coffee alone, invite God to join you. Make it special by having a favorite mug, a pretty prayer journal and a colorful pen. Write out your prayers and prepare yourself for the day, not just with caffeine, but through time with God.

Before Bed Gratitude

Before you close your eyes to sleep, write a thankful list. Make it simple and doable by keeping a dedicated gratitude journal next to your bed. Praise God for all the things that went right and for His goodness and presence in your life. Ending the day with gratitude calms the heart and sets you up for a good night’s sleep.

Ongoing One Sentence Prayers

Having an attitude of prayer is continuing the conversation with God beyond formal times of prayer. You can keep the dialogue going with one sentence prayers throughout the day. It’s simple. If something good happens, say, “Thank you God!” If trouble arises, say, “Lord, help me.” If you need to make a
decision, say, “Lord give me direction and guidance.” If bad news comes, say, “Lord give me the strength I need.” If the sky is filled with beautiful colors or you notice new flowers blooming in your front yard, say, “Lord, I praise you for making such wonderful things!”

The practice of prayer can change our mindset because it places our attention on God, the only One who can truly help…the One who has the answers to our problems and the One who provides us with strength. Let’s be honest, being a police wife is rewarding and wonderful, but it’s also complicated, challenging and discouraging. Staying connected to God in prayer is the way to gain strength and endurance for the road ahead. I’ve been a police wife for over 20 years, and it’s guaranteed that highs and lows will come and go. It’s part of this life. When I don’t pray I suffer, but when I make prayer a priority I find myself stronger and more equipped to manage the day.

God knows how important prayer is and that’s why the Bible encourages us to “Pray at all times and on every occasion” (Ephesians 6:18). You can pray all the time and about everything by nurturing an ongoing attitude of prayer. Begin today to sharpen your prayer tool by selecting one of the three practical tips above (Morning Coffee with God, Before Bed Gratitude or Ongoing One Sentence Prayers) and make a commitment to practice it every day for 30 days. Cultivating the habit of prayer will take time and effort, but the outcome is closeness with God and inner strength that comes only from being in prayer with Him.

Blue Hugs,
JJ Gutierrez
Police Wife, Author, Teacher & Ministry Leader

This blog post is written by author JJ Gutierrez. JJ is a 20 year + wife of a police officer, ministry leader, and author of various books for police wives and their children.

JJ’s books include:

Armor of God for Police Wives

Armor of God for Police Kids

Scriptures to Know by Heart for Police Wives

Check out JJ’s website here or follow her on Instagram here.