Add Fragrance To Your Prayer Time

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Incorporate All the Senses in Prayer Time by Adding Fragrance

This post has been sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Candle, all opinions are 100% my own.

Summer has put a different spin on our schedule and definitely on my morning quiet time. Sleeping in feels like a good choice some days, but I know everyone benefits from mama spending some morning time in the word and in prayer. This summer I’m blessed to be joining a small group of ladies for a study of James. In an attempt to make the few precious moments I get alone in the quiet the most fruitful I’ve cultivated a few spots in the house as sweet corners filled with everything I need to make the most of my time. Knowing I have a few options of places to study, I know my time in James will be rich and promising.

If you are anything like me I need all the help I can get memorizing scripture (memorizing anything really!) and staying focused. I find that if I have the stage set my prayer time has less distractions and more focus. Because our schedule is changed up in summer I don’t always get to sit alone in the same spot every morning. Luckily, I have a few places I can hide out for a few minutes. I often talk about incorporating all the senses in decorating, but quiet time can (and should be) be the same!  Do you ever notice how a song will bring back a memory in a flash? You hear a tune and are instantly transported back in time to a favorite summer when you wore that song out on repeat or maybe it draws you back to a first dance or funny event. You know what can draw you into a memory even faster than a song? A smell. Fragrances are quick to pull our mind to a memory, reminding us of a place, person or time in our life. Last year when I was in a funk of sorts I spent some time in a chapel and was overwhelmed by the fragrant smell of incense burning around the alter. It’s a smell I will never forget and it brings me comfort and peace when that familiar scent passes my nose. Since then I have worked on adding fragrance to my quiet and prayer time.

Here are some little vignettes I have set up around the house, each with its own scent to help incorporate a familiar smell that will draw me in even further. I have grown to love the candles from the Heritage Collection by Chesapeake Bay Candle. Each fragrance is beautifully balanced and inspired by botanicals and fruit found along Maryland’s idyllic shoreline. Since the Outer Banks of North Carolina hold a super special place in my heart these fragrances ring a bell of heritage for me personally. They are comfort in a jar. The packaging is natural, minimal and neutral so they can move around my house and slip in with my decor easily. I know that is silly, but I want my candles to blend in and sort of disappear with the scenery!

MOST mornings you can find me on the little couch in my kitchen. Coffee on one side and a dog nestled up on the other. I’m always changing out the table decor in here to something that inspires me. I’ve loved having this Blood Orange Small Jar Candle next to me on the mornings I study here. It has an energizing citrus scent with touches of mandarin and blood orange. My husband went on a trip to Italy a few years back and has been a fan of blood oranges since then. This subtle reminder always brings Todd to my mind and to the forefront of my prayers when I smell it! It’s like a sunny day at the coast, wish we were there now! The double blessing of adding fragrance to prayer is not just that it reminds me of past things while I’m sitting here, it will serve as a trigger in the future when a particular smell comes at an unexpected moment, drawing me back to these quiet mornings and the truths God reveals. Ephesians 5:2

When my little people beat me awake in the morning I sneak into the sitting area in our bedroom and hide away in the quietest nook of our house. Adding just a hint of fresh flowers or greenery to each space is a special treat that makes each spot complete, I highly recommend littering your home with these small vignettes. Hopefully my favorite spots will give you some ideas. In our room I have my favorite candle, the Bay Cottage Coffee Table Jar Candle. This frosted glass jar is perfect for a coffee table and can fill a room with the rich clean smell of linen, lavender, sandalwood and white amber. It completely brings me to the coast of North Carolina, where my dad’s family is from. It’s one of my favorite spots and one I feel most connected to generations past. The strength and serenity of the ocean are a constant reminder of God’s mighty power and breathtaking creation. Matthew 8:27

If I am not in these two spots I might be hanging in our living room with my husband. I use the Driftwood & Amber Large Jar Candle in here because it has a most earthy driftwood and coconut fragrance to it, it’s slightly more masculine so I know my husband will enjoy it too! A little tray with some of your favorite things makes an easy vignette for your prayer corner. Make sure you have any other items you need handy in each spot; things like reading glasses, highlighters, pens and pencils

The last spot I keep fresh with a candle, flowers and favorite tchotchkes is my desk. The study we are working on has a podcast and I sit at my computer to listen along. I also sit here to write for the blog, so it is nice to have an uplifting, soothing vibe going on in this space. These gorgeous Sunflowers were snagged from a field, my kiddos helped pick them, and when paired with a Milk & Honey Double Wick Tin Candle it’s the perfect combo. White freesia, fresh bergamot and a splash of milky vanilla are a lovely comfort. The Lord promises to bring us through the slavery of sin to the land of milk and honey. What a beautiful reminder of heaven, waiting for us that have faith in Jesus. Deuteronomy 26:9 

Friends, I urge you to carve out a spot just for you, spoil yourself with fresh flowers and your favorite smell, include all your senses to make the most of your precious time with the Lord! If you need a visual, think on this scene from the book of John to help remind you about the way Mary worshiped Jesus. She was extravagant in expressing her love and we can be that way too!

John 12: 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrant perfume.

What fragrant offering can you serve up today!?