Is It Right To Ignore People While Praying?

Have you ever been faced with this situation where someone is talking to you and you’re praying and you just don’t know what to do? Ignore the person, make a prayer sign or pause the prayer to answer him/her?

I’ve been faced with this question and it was kind of hard to answer at first because of the nature of the prayer, the person intruding and the place/position you’re in. Most of all, we are to be led by the Spirit and wisdom is also profitable to direct.

Looking at the nature of the prayer, you might just be saying a short prayer within yourself on the go, having your quiet time on your knees in your room, communal prayers and so many more. When you’re on the go, there’s no real reason to actually ignore the person. Quickly answer and get back in tune.

However, in the case of communal/group prayers or in your quiet time, it now lies on the other person to understand and respect your activity by giving you some time. If the person fails to realize that you’re having your quiet time, you could easily signal the person using your hands (politely please).

On the part of the person intruding, it may be of an urgent issue or an esteemed personality. In urgent issues, you need to show a level of maturity by remaining in the mood of prayer yet meeting the person’s needs if you can. For example, I had to get something from someone who was praying urgently. She actually directed me to the location of the object without getting disconnected in prayers and even talking to me.

If you can’t, you can briefly pause, attend to the person and continue praying. This is a major reason to pray early as Jesus did a great while before dawn; to avoid distractions.

However, the place/position you find yourself in also affects your response. My friend said that you can’t ignore a bus conductor because you’re praying and then refuse to pay on that note or when you’re washing your clothes or dishes. This is quite true!

But when you’re on your feet or on your knees praying or even on your bed, then you could also use signals to make others understand that you’re actually praying.

I'd love to hear what you have to say on this interesting topic! Please leave a comment!