No matter how long you've been a Christian, prayer is something you may work at continually. It's listed as one of the spiritual disciplines for a reason — because it takes discipline, practice and intention to achieve a strong prayer life. And whether you've been praying continuously for years, are new to the practice or just want to get better at spending time with God, you can leverage a few tips to enhance your prayer life.

DON'T SAVE YOUR PRAYERS UP FOR LATER

Life is busy, even for seniors living active lives in an assisted living community. It's tempting to stock your prayers up for quiet time in the evening or morning, but God loves to hear from you any time of day. Prayers don't have to be long affairs — God probably appreciates daily quick words in the right spirit as much as he does a 30-minute devotion session. And when you pray regularly in bursts throughout the day, you get the benefit of remembering to pray for things immediately and developing a new kind of relationship with God.

TIE PRAYERS TO TRIGGERS

While the Bible tells us of the benefits of being still and knowing he is God, we don't have to be still every time we talk to God. Get into the habit of praying when you do certain activities, such as making your morning cup of tea, walk around The Gardens assisted living community, cleaning up after yourself or engaging in crafting. If you tie prayer to these items habitually, they become a trigger that helps you slip into an attitude of pray naturally.

CREATE A WORSHIPFUL ATTITUDE WITH MUSIC

Sometimes it's hard to turn off the day around you and truly worship God. One of the ways we gear up for spirit-led corporate worship in church is by singing together. You can use music in your private worship life too. Choose a song or two to sing or listen to that invokes feelings of worship and gratefulness to God, then segue into prayer.

PRAY WITH AND FOR OTHERS

Another thing we do in church is pray with and for others. Make that a habit in your own prayer life. Ask people in the assisted living community how you can pray for them or join in community prayer groups (or offer to host one).

PRAY DIRECTLY FROM THE SCRIPTURES

If you're ever at a complete loss for how to pray in the moment or how to strengthen your prayer life, don't worry. God gave us a book with plenty of wisdom on this topic. Simply open your scriptures and pray them. Some favorites include Psalm 28:7, 1 Chronicles 16:34 and Psalm 31:3.