How to Easily Create a Portable Prayer Room

Why a Portable Prayer Room?

I don’t know about you, but I  love mixing things up. I have a prayer corner that I absolutely love, but sometimes I want to pray on my terrace. Other times, I’m drawn to my vegetable garden. With a portable prayer room, I’m no longer limited to my little corner. I can pray anywhere I want with little effort.

I like to pray with Scripture and a freshly brewed cup of coffee. My prayer journal, pen, and iPad are some of the other items I keep within reach as well.

Portable Prayer Room vs Prayer Corner

As I mentioned, I have a prayer corner, because I can’t have an entire room, that I absolutely love. It’s in the corner of my home office. I have a crucifix there, my bookcase full of Christian books, bibles and bible studies, a candle, a rocking chair, and my iPad to name a few of the things. It is my favorite spot in the house. It is comfortable and cozy.

But sometimes, I am drawn to my garden, or the terrace, or even my living room or bedroom. I can’t take all the things from my prayer corner with me, so I created a portable prayer room. I have a beautiful tray that holds the basic things I need to pray anywhere I want.

Why Prayer Room and not Prayer Tray?

I opted to call it my portable prayer room because it contains all the items I like to have accessible when I pray. Plus, have you googled “prayer tray”? It’s just a tray with a prayer on it. My tray is so much more than an engraved prayer. It holds so much more.

Also, I prefer a tray to a bag or backpack because it gives me that hard horizontal surface where I can lay things out and actually see them. I get that a tray won’t work if I’m going to a coffee shop or to church, but I don’t go to those places to pray on a daily basis anyway. I pray at home. So, that’s why I prefer a tray.

I typically carry my Bible, my Bible Study or my Prayer Journal or both, a candle, and several other items. Let’s talk about what my portable prayer room has and give you some ideas on what you could have in yours. As with all my posts, not everything I write about is for everyone. Take what you like and discard the rest.

What are your Must Have Items?

It’s important to know what items you’d like to be with you when you are praying. For me, a Bible, my prayer journal, a pen, a white-out, a small candle (and matches), my earbuds, my cellphone/iPad, and my cup of coffee are a must.

In my prayer room corner, I have so many beautiful items that draw me to pray, but I know I can’t carry it all with me. So, I select the absolutely necessary ones. If I’m doing a bible study at the time, I like to include the bible study materials. If I’m following along on an app, then I like to have my earbuds and cell phone with me. The candle for me, just reminds me that He is my light and reason for being there. My bible is a must because I like to read Scripture during my prayer time. But I only take one Bible, even though I have several versions of the Bible in my bookcase.

My all-time favorite way of praying is with our Scripture and Prayer Journals. It’s not a shameless plug for my stuff, but it is something that I created for myself because I couldn’t find anything like it available. All these years later, I still love using them. They keep me centered on Scripture and on my relationship with God.

In my prayer room, I also keep a stack of memorial cards for every funeral that I’ve attended. I keep them so I don’t forget to pray for their souls. It is important for me to keep them in my prayer intentions. I won’t go thru every card every day, but I do mention the stack of cards during my prayer time. That is why I don’t carry the cards with me in my portable prayer room.

What are the items that you like to keep an arm’s length away when you are praying? How much space with they take?

What’s the Best Tray for You?

The tray should be big enough to hold what you want to have accessible at all times. So the size is important.

Another thing I find important is the sturdiness. It should be strong enough to be able to carry your items. A flimsy bottom is only going to last you for so long.

The tray I use and I love has two other features that you may not have considered. It has a rim around it so things do not slip off and fall. And finally, it has beautiful handles to carry it. I looked for my tray to link it here, but couldn’t find it on Amazon. This one is very similar to the one I have.

My tray is particularly special to me because it was given to me by a friend that no longer is with us and whom I loved dearly. It reminds me of her every time I use it.

Conclusion

A prayer room is anything and anywhere you want it to be. I love my portable prayer room. I love to be able to go to the garden and sit on the bench with my tray by my side and pray. I have a wall of bougainvillea that is about 50 feet long and 8 feet high. When it is in full bloom, there is no better spot than my terrace to be. And on those days, that’s where I like to pray. No running around looking for stuff. The last thing you need is to be stressed and running around trying to find a pen, matches, or earbuds right before your prayer time. Having it all laid out is the perfect way to start your prayer time.

Take Action Today

Do you have a designated space for prayer? Do you like to pray in different areas of your house? Will you be creating your own version of the portable prayer room? What are your must-have items?