Focus on Him
How can I focus on God to hear Him more clearly? What distraction needs to be removed in my life
and my day? These were two of the
questions in the devotionals for this fast period. God will help us overcome wrong motives and
intentions if we'll simply ask and receive help rather than trying to do it on
your own. And the distractions are those
things that we try to do or fix on our own.
God reveals what He has for us or needs from us according to His perfect
timing.
Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
To hear God more clearly I make a time where I can have some
silence in my day. Where I do not have
to answer a phone; fill a request from someone; or worry about some aspect of
the pace of life. For me this tends to
be in the evening. I am not a morning
person. When I do get up I try to focus
a couple of moments by thinking about the lyrics of a worship song or on a
verse from Scripture while in the shower.
But I find I have better focus and quiet time in the evening. During this 21 day fast period I am making
use of some solitude in my office in place of heading out to eat lunch. I like to play music in the background as I
study and spend time with God and meditate on a Scripture passage or other
devotional concept. I spend a couple of moments in prayer asking for guidance
and direction for me and opportunities to hear God’s word in my life and some
intercessory prayer for other people and their needs.
I do this because I believe in God’s direction for my life
and this world. In leading up to John
10: 27-28 is the description of the Feast of Dedication and the Jewish people
surrounded Jesus and asked him to plainly state that is the Christ. Jesus responded that He has done many things
yet the Jews do not believe that He is the Christ.
John 10: 27-28 (NIV)
27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow
me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch
them out of my hand.
I believe because I have faith that Jesus Christ is my
Savior. When I spend time listening for
God’s word in my life through His voice I deepen my relationship and life in
the Word. In Luke 19 and John 3 is a
description of the purpose of Christ’s coming to be with His people.
Luke 19: 9-10 (NIV)
9Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house,
because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save the lost.”
John 3: 16 – 18 (NIV)
16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For
God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name
of God’s one and only Son.
Jesus came to save a lost and troubled world. Our world is still as troubled today as
ever. People turn away from God in lieu
of some false humanistic teaching or simply just say that God is a man-made
construction. Through spending time with
God I tune into His will and what He needs me to do.
Isaiah 66:2 (NIV)
2Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the Lord.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.
We need to take time to tune out the world and tune into God
so that we can listen for and focus on His plans for us and this world. We ask each time we say the Lord’s Prayer for
“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
Are these just empty words or do we truly want God’s will active on
earth as it is in heaven? We need to
humble ourselves and respond to the will of God present in God’s own
words. We need to recognize that it is
God’s work and will done through our hands.
When we turn to and tune into God we can become his instrument to bring
His will into this world.
Prayer: Psalm 141: 1-2, 4, 9-10
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly to me;
hear me when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be
like the evening sacrifice.
4 Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat their delicacies.
9 Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers,
from the snares they have laid for
me.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by in safety.
Amen.
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