God You have My Attention
Hey Hope Church Family, Today is Day 1 of our Prayer Focus. Each day we will post a daily Prayer Focus to lead you through this time of seeking God together.
Today's Focus: ##**"God, You Have My Attention".**
If you're anything like me, attention is something that comes and goes. It's easy to be fully engaged watching a tv show, but when your circumstances are less exciting, it's easy to become distracted and lose attention.
What does it look like to give God your focused attention? In a world jam-packed with distractions, how do we intentionally and deliberately say "God, You Have My Attention"?
In Psalm 27:4 the Psalmist declares his heart to God by saying... "The one thing I ask of the LORD--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple."
The first step to giving God our Attention is:
**1. Expressing our Desire to be in God's Presence**
That's right. It's that simple. The Bible tells us that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Just as the writer of Psalm 27 says in many words "I want to be with God", so it is with you and I, when your heart desires to be with God, you express that out loud to him in simple and honest prayers. Take some time today to simply say "God, I want to be with you." Write, journal or simply speak your hearts desire to the Lord. As you are expressing, also add in the things you desire during this time such as asking to hear His voice more clearly, or to experience deep revelation in His word...etc.
Secondly, after you have expressed your desire...
**2. Set aside time with as few distractions as possible**
This could be 15-30 minutes in the morning, noon and night. Or it could be a much longer time period once per day. Let's face it, removing distractions is hard for everyone that owns a cell phone. So, you got it... that cell phone needs to be placed somewhere (or put on airplane mode) where it won't have your attention during these quiet times with the Lord. If you have a busy house, then wake up early or go for a drive in the car after the kids are sleeping. But whatever you do, give a solid effort to remove distractions and make this time regular throughout the next week. I promise you won't regret it.
Last and certainly not least...
**3. Immerse yourself with Truth**
Hebrews 4:12 says... "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Find a book of the Bible, a collection of Psalms or look up a list of Bible passages about seeking God and read through them regularly. If you don't have a regular Bible reading rhythm, be patient with yourself and don't get discouraged if you don't fully understand everything right away. As you daily spend time in the Word of God, God's truth will become a record that replays in your mind throughout the day. It will penetrate every area of your life. Just give it time and watch how your attention will be fixed on God by immersing yourself with the truth. But don't just read the truth, sing the truth, journal the truth and pray the truth also.
Brothers and sisters... Let's make this a day of declaration to our God. A day where we humbly express our desire, set aside time, and make a decision to immerse ourselves with the truth. In all of these things we are saying... GOD YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION.
Let's press in to Him for our church, our families, our city and our world.
Thanks for joining us on this journey. I can't wait to hear how God used this time in your life.
Sincerely,
Pastor Kaleb