How to Keep Your Thoughts and Feelings Turned Toward God

Morning prayer is appointed precisely to establish in your consciousness and heart these two things: your thoughts and feelings toward God. And with them you then go out to your work and your tasks. If you raise this up in your soul in the morning, you have prayed correctly, even if you do not read all the prayers.

Suppose you prepared yourself this way in the morning and then went out to your work. From the first step, impressions from deeds and things and people will begin to distract your soul from God. What should you do? You must renew your thoughts and feelings by an inward turning of your mind and heart to God. And to make this easier—you must practice some short prayer and repeat it as often as possible. Any short prayer serves this purpose. But the most fitting of all prayers to the Lord Savior is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!” Strive to practice it and do not stop until you master it. Once it has taken root, it will become a constant mover of standing before God in thought and feeling toward Him. Here is your whole program of prayer!

(Letter 947, vol. 6, p. 21)