We’ve all been there. We wake up, do our devotions, and try to listen to what God has in store for us that day. Theoretically, this should be in the ballpark of “doable.” But alas, it’s not that simple. Try as we might, our attentions tend to stray toward other things before we hone in on God. Our lives are chock-full of distractions, and we always seem to end up engaged in something else besides what God is telling us to do. The big question here is why. Why is it so hard to focus on God?
God is the Creator of the universe—Creator of all things, actually. He deserves our attention for so many reasons, but for some reason, we just can’t seem to give it to Him. And when we do get around to listening to God, we’re only halfheartedly there. Our thoughts always seem to be drifting toward something else. Whether it’s homework, bills, work related problems, significant others, the possibility of a significant other, food, exercising, reading, television, music, movies, hanging out with friends—well, you get the picture. We’re easily distracted. This we all know. But here's the question that’s hard to figure out: why can’t we focus on God?
It’s not that we feel we have something better to be thinking about (I mean, what’s better than God? Nothing.), but it’s perhaps the fact that we can’t be still. A rather famous Bible verse says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). But it’s hard, isn’t it? Being still and knowing God; shutting out all the distractions of our lives and giving ourselves over to the One who Created us. Even if it’s just an hour, we find it difficult to give our sole focus to God. This, perhaps, is one reason for having faith. Faith is hard. It’s not supposed to be easy. We have to trust that God knows what He’s doing and He knows what’s best for us because He, in fact, does. Even though we find it hard to focus on God, we’re still trying. But it has to be intentional. You have to want it. You have to want a relationship with God. You have to decide that today you are going to stop thinking about the bills you have to pay, the problems going on at work, the impending deadline of essays and presentations. You have to decide to shut the distractions out. And when you find that you’re struggling with shutting the outside out, pray. Pray that God helps you focus on Him. Pray that God helps shape you into the child of Christ He longs for you to be. Pray that God will take control of your life and help lead you to where He wants you.
It’s going to be tough. You’re going to feel like you can’t hear Him and you’re not going anywhere. But God knows what He’s doing. He knows where He wants you. And He has the perfect timing for when He wants that to happen. You just have to trust in Him, have faith, and try your best to focus on His plan. Because He has one, and it’s incredible.
