"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
Praying doesn’t come easy—at least it doesn’t for me. I learned to pray silently when I was young. Then when I accepted Christ, I was encouraged to speak my prayers out loud, as if I was talking to someone. Still, I struggled to pray without letting life’s distractions get in the way.
This reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha. Martha complains about her sister, Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet while she is doing all the preparation for dinner. Jesus tells her, “...My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!” (Luke 10:41).
What does it mean to be distracted? It means something else has caught our attention leading us away from our focus. To be honest, I can lose focus just by entering another room in my house, wondering to myself, Now why did I come in here?
We’ve all found ourselves losing focus during prayer. As humans, we’re naturally distracted. Anything that takes our focus off the Savior is a distraction.
Like Martha, we can get so concerned over the preparation that we miss God’s presence. Instead of focusing on being in His presence and asking Him for what we need, we get distracted by our daily tasks and responsibilities—errands, grocery lists, our kids, meal prep, housecleaning, laundry, etc. These aren’t bad things; these are just things that can keep us from focusing on Jesus in moments of prayer.
Martha was in proximity of Jesus, but life and all its endless preparations captured her focus. Meanwhile, Mary sat at His feet. See the difference?
As a young mom, I found it hard to carve out time to spend with Jesus. I had to learn to talk to Him while feeding my infant or strolling around the neighborhood. It wasn’t easy—especially with three little ones running around—but I did it. When I would finally put them down for a nap, everything inside me wanted to be distracted by a book, housework, or television, but I trained myself to hear His voice above all the other voices that were calling out to me.
Every day, we can choose to be like Martha or Mary. Life will always be full of distractions, but it’s worth the effort and time we put forth to enjoy the presence of Jesus. Let’s make prayer a priority this week. Will you join me in sitting at His feet?
Digging Deeper
- Why is this a crucial time for the church of Jesus Christ?
- Meditate on 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” Speak this verse out loud.
- How can you be a blessing to those in need?
If you need prayer or you would like to talk with a Air1 Pastor, we are here to serve you. Call us at 844-364-4673 (hope).
