Pay Attention

A few years ago when online grocery pickup was just getting started, I made my first Kroger order. I wasn't familiar with their system and I was in a hurry to just get it done. I had been out of town and my to-do list had gotten pretty long. Being able to mark grocery shopping off was going to be a huge relief.  So, I hurriedly entered my items and clicked order. Later, I pulled into the spot and a young man stated my total and asked if he could put everything in the back. I thought it sounded kind of high but I did have a large order and groceries are expensive. He loaded the car and off I went.  It wasn't until I arrived at home when I realized I had a problem.  After all of the bags were out, I discovered that underneath was an entire box of bananas.  Somehow, instead of just a few, I had mistakenly ordered 45 lbs!  I got some groceries that day alright, but my order wasn't accurate because in my haste... I didn't pay attention.  

Do we sometimes do that with God?  Do we treat prayer like a task that needs to be done?  Do we just mark it off of our to-do list rather than giving it the attention it needs?  Prayer is how we communicate with our Father. Just as we communicate with anyone else in our family, it doesn't have much meaning if we aren't paying attention to the conversation.  If our mind is off somewhere else or we just say things to be saying them because they sound good, the words don’t have much meaning.

We may not always know what to say. Romans 8 tells us that when we are weak and have no words, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.  This lets us know that it isn't only about what we say, but about the time and attention that we set aside to spend with our Holy God.  

Prayer is a gift given to us to have direct access to God through Jesus.  It's something that should never be taken for granted.  It's a time when we get to praise Him, thank Him, and make our requests known to Him. It's also a time when we get to listen. The answers may not be immediate, but we should always be listening and prepared for when they come.  

The greatest gift that you can give to anyone is your time and attention. 1 Peter says that God gives us His full attention when we pray. He deserves ours as well.  If we don't give it, then we shouldn't be surprised at the results. 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  - Romans 8:26

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.  - 1 Peter 3:12 

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