Don’t you just love when you believe that the Lord is speaking to you and then he begins to dispatch his children around you to confirm the very same word that he just spoke to you?! THAT, my friend, will never grow tiresome. Never. I am not a “word of the year” type of person, heck, if I am being completely honest, I am more of a Praise-God-I-made-it-to-the-otherside-without-losing-my-mind kind of person. At any rate, most who know me know that I have Attention Deficit Disorder (the actual doctor diagnosed kind not the essential oiler-researched kind (however, from one oiler to another, I DO know some things)...having ADD God often has to tell me what he needs for me to hear several times and thru many avenues. A couple of months back He began whispering to me the word FOCUS and the phrase BE PRESENT. You see, my family and I have a big prayer that we are asking God to make possible so we have been more mindful about paying attention to God and where he may be leading us.
According to how we thought things should have happened and referencing our own schedule we have, unfortunately, received a ‘not now’ response (those can pack a big punch to the heart). Bottom line is, things didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. Although bummed, I was reminded that, although God wanted me to pay attention and be mindful, that is not what he had been whispering. His whispered words were FOCUS and BE PRESENT.
How many times have you thought you were doing exactly what you thought the Lord was asking you to do only to later discover that you were only doing what you were comfortable doing, doing what required the least amount of effort, discomfort, and strain? You see, paying attention was far more comfortable than actually focusing on God. To focus on him meant I needed to draw closer to him. Drawing closer is the only way to even begin to know what he needs us to do or in what direction he is calling us to move. He wasn’t calling me to just lean in to His word he was calling me to action! To make my vision clear, centered only on Him, to meditate on his word and to direct all of my attention on him. The only way to truly be focused is to sit with him daily, always believe in the truth that he is speaking to your heart, and continuously praise your way through every peak and valley.
“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” Ephesians 3:20 TPT
Focusing on God requires daily effort on my part, not just thinking on Him but seeking him through his word.
Finally, BE PRESENT. We’ve all heard this phrase before. As I am taking a deep pause to think on this phrase I am discovering the volume of its meaning. Have you ever driven to a familiar place only to wonder ‘how, in Sam Hill, did I get here?’ I know I am not the only one with the gifting of day dreaming my way to a familiar destination with no clue how I got there. Even though you may have driven to and made it to your destination without incident, you missed the entire ride. To be present isn’t just about showing up (although important), it is about posturing (positioning your attitude). To be present you must be fully aware of your surroundings.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
We will likely never know all that we have missed out on because we were either focused but not present or present but not focused. But God is saying, in order for you, for us, to move forward, whatever our next step is, he needs us to be BOTH focused AND present [insert mind blown emoji].