Scott Peck, author of the bestselling book The Road Less Traveled, was once asked by his spiritual advisor, “Do you have specific times during the day when you pray?” “Not really,” he replied; and then went on to explain, “To set aside particular times seems kind of rigid and lacking spontaneity.”

“Maybe so,” the spiritual advisor countered, “but what I hear you saying is that you communicate with God only when you feel like it, only when you are in the mood to pray. That suggests to me that it is a very one-way relationship. If you love God as much as you claim—and I believe you do—don’t you think you owe it to God to make yourself available at certain times, whether you feel like it or not?”

That insightful comment proved a real eye-opener for Scott Peck—and to be honest, when I first read it, it was something of an epiphany for me as well. Like Peck, I pray every day, but it tended to be random and haphazard. I didn’t really have a set time to pray—7:00 am, 11:00 pm, or whatever. Basically, I prayed whenever I felt the need to, or whenever a situation arose for which I desired God’s input.

But the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder: What does this actually say about my relationship with God? Is prayer an activity I enter into only when it is convenient, or necessary, or when I am properly motivated? Am I willing to intentionally set aside time for God, or am I presuming that the Almighty is at my beck and call?

So, recently, I started to carve out a specific time each day for prayer. Not sermon preparation, or Bible study—just prayer. Admittedly, it took some effort and discipline, and felt a little unnatural at first. But, as best I could, I tried to find a time when I would be undistracted and undisturbed—a sacred time, if you will.

And what I discovered is that my prayer life became much less driven by personal agenda. In other words, I wasn’t going to God only when I needed something or wanted something. I was going to God simply to spend time with the One who knows me better than I know myself, and who can certainly make me better than I could ever become all on my own!

I pass this along because it has made a difference for me, and perhaps will do the same for some of you. In effect, rather than being a means to an end, prayer has become an end, in and of itself.