"I have set the Lord always before me.” Psalm 16:8

“I will not look with approval on anything that is vile.” Psalms 101:3

Once we are convinced of God’s acceptance and affection for us, we will desire to draw near to him. And the habit we must focus on first is the habit of giving God our attention. In order to know God we must spend time with Him. In order to imitate Him we must study Him. Before I can even obey Him, I must first hear Him speak. So I must position myself near to Him. When God saw that Moses turned aside to gaze at the burning bush, then He began to speak to him. Jesus bid people to “come follow me.” It’s an invitation to proximity and intimacy.

If you want to know if someone will succeed in becoming like Christ, I would ask you to what degree  they have given God their attention. To the extent that a woman fills her life with God, God will fill her with His life. The prophet rebuked the people with this, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Psalm 36:1). It is not enough simply to desire life change, or freedom from sin. We must set the Lord before our eyes and ears, fill our schedules with Him, let Him sit long and heavy upon our minds, and relish Him in our hearts.

The Hebrew word for face is derived from the verb that means “to turn”. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides concluded “man generally turns his face towards the thing he desires.”[1] Where a man turns his face is the direction he is aiming at. So let us be more careful what we give our attention to, and let us begin to give our attention more fully to the Lord. When we lived for ourselves we hopelessly drifted. Isaiah said “We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us to his own way.” When we meditate on God He steers our hearts and minds.

Whatever has your attention, not only possesses your mind, but will also possess your heart. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Luke 11:34). If you focus on the wrong things, your life will become populated with darkness. If you focus on Jesus, your life will be brimming with his sacred, sweet, and beautiful presence. What we digest empowers us. “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5).

That’s why Hebrews admonishes us , “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). It is the habit of the sunflower to lift up it’s chin and gaze at the sun—following it through it’s race across the heavens. We also receive nourishment when we meditate upon the Lord and teach ourselves to remain in spiritual communion with him.

David’s primary quest was to “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4). “Holy lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty. My soul longs even faints for the courts of the Lord” (Psalm 84:1). When we become occupied with the Lord, like David, we will develop a heart for the Lord like David. When we meditate upon the Lord we are “transformed into His likeness with ever increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We are like a sponge that is saturated with substance. So let’s be careful what we give our attention to.

In Genesis 30 Jacob sets a vision before the animals in heat. They reproduce what they behold with their eyes. This is a mystery. What we set before us will be reproduced in our lives. That is why the scriptures repeatedly encourage us to fill our minds and attention with the Lord. Meditate on His law day and night (Psalm 1:2). Gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in his temple (Psalm 27:4). Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:1). Set your minds on things above (Colossians 3:2). Contemplate the Lord’s glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).

It is no wonder that in our generation there is a war for our attention. Media has bruised our minds from morning till night with the pounding of noise. Richard Foster was right in observing that “superficiality is the curse of this age.”[2] The clattering of voices with poisons and potions, and opinions, productivity and activity, films and culture, and knowledge and advertisements, socials, and gossips—all have preoccupied our attention so that there is not a square inch of daylight in the jungle of our thoughts to see heaven’s radiance.

If we are to grow in the image of our Father, then we must learn to spend long loving hours thinking of Him. Filling our minds with Him. Sitting in His counsel, listening to Him talk. Praying to Him in sincerest conversation. Feasting on His word. Rehearsing His teachings. Memorizing His history. Trusting His promised futures. Seeking His truths. We must erect a dam against the torrent of busyness. We need sanctuary—sacred space against the noise. Madame Guyon says, “What you see and what you hear are continually supplying your busy imagination with new subjects. They keep your thoughts jumping from one subject to another. Therefore, there is a place for discipline concerning what you see and hear.”[3]

The godless man is held captive by any passing thought. The godly man trains his ears and eyes to focus on his master. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27).

The Hebrew prayer begins with a call to attention. “Hear!” Stop what you are doing and listen. Abandon every distraction. Before we even get to adhering to His commands we first learn to focus on them. Hear the whispers of the Spirit. God was not in the thunder and the rain. He was in the whisper. He is still speaking. It takes time and effort and training to discipline our attention to hear the Lord. Larry Kreider encourages us here, “The Lord wants us to take the time to listen...He wants us to become increasingly familiar with His voice as our relationship deepens with Him. The more often we meet with God in prayer and talk to Him, the clearer His voice becomes.”[4]

A.W. Tozer understood the implications. The Christian “will soon come up against the need to know God Himself as the ultimate goal of all Christian doctrine...to know God well he must think on Him unceasingly. Nothing that man has discovered about himself or God has revealed any short cut to pure spirituality. It is still free, but tremendously costly.”[5] Our first habit is the habit of giving God our attention. It is free. It is costly. So many believers are enjoying the wines of this world. They are distracted by Vanity Fair. The door to the first room stands open. Will you enter it?

[1] Guide for the Perplexed, pg ??

 [2] Celebration of Discipline, pg 1

 [3] Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, pg ?? (chapter 10)

 [4] Hearing the Voice of God, pg 21

 [5] That Incredible Christian, pg 135

Tags: prayer, scripture, disciplines, attention, meditation