We are people who live in an age of perpetual motion, and we tend to wear busyness as a badge of honor. Philosopher and theologian David Wells suggests that “the affliction of distraction” is the greatest challenge of our age, and he goes on to ask, “How, then, can we receive from Scripture the truth God has for us if we cannot focus long enough, linger long enough, to receive that truth?”
Every Christ follower, by virtue of the Spirit who dwells within us, yearns for intimate communion with God. We are made for it. Prayerfully pressing into the Word that he has given us will not only transform our hearts and fulfill our souls but will also lead to more peaceful balance in all the parts of our lives.
Wells so powerfully reminds us of this: if we are convinced that we need, above all, to know God, to know who he is in his character, that will trump every competing interest. But we have to be utterly convinced. . . . Without this ability to stop, to focus, to linger, to reflect, to analyze, to evaluate, we begin to lose touch with the God who has called us to know him.”
The ability of which Wells speaks—to stop, linger, focus, reflect, and so on, in order to know God—may be harder to come by than it’s ever been.
Reflect:
Read Psalm 119:27. What specific factors or distractions tend to prevent you from focused time of meditation and lingering on Scripture?
Pray:
Name those distractions in a time of prayer, asking God to help you grow in your ability to focus and reflect on his Word.
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
As my doubts about his teachings grew, so did a secret fascination with Jesus.
C.S. Lewis recommended discernment over diatribes in exactly the moments we’re most eager to indulge in critique.
