When prayers go unanswered, do you question where God is leading you?Do you find it challenging to remain spiritually faithful and focused? I know I do.
There are many things in life that can distract us from our spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship and reading the Bible. I, for one, struggle with staying disciplined during the beautiful Northeastern summers. The warm weather draws me outside in pursuit of my love of sports, travelling and nature. Knowing these days are fleeting, I try to fit in as much as I can while struggling to balance my quiet time with the Lord.
Our expectations have a way of distracting us as well. Unanswered prayers, an unexpected change or spiritual frustration with ourselves or even God may cause us to forget who He is and question where He is leading us.
Years ago, I was offered a ministry position of great promise. It was pitched as the ideal job, but within a short period of time I realized it was not. Things weren’t going as planned, and I began to feel discouraged.
This is when my wife first said to me, “Stay faithful and focused.”
These words are wonderful reminders for me to stay calm and keep focused on the right things when I’m being led astray. They help bring me back to that place of meditation and peace, where I can hear God and trust more deeply in Him.
I wanted to give up and find a new job, but I learned to “stay faithful and focused” on the task at hand, but most importantly on the Lord. Thanks to His grace and the words of wisdom from my wife, I worked through my disappointments and disillusionments and endured the situation victoriously.
It’s difficult to remain faithful and focused when things are not going well. Running away from hard situations always seems easier than facing them. But there are many lessons to be learned about being patient, trusting the Lord and staying prayerful, if we discipline ourselves to be focused on Him.
How do you stay faithful and focus? Please share with us.
Lord, give me the strength to keep my eyes fixed on you at all times and to resist the distractions that would pull me away from your presence.
