EVERY DAY FOCUS

One of the things that makes a baseball pitcher great is the variety of pitches he can throw to the batter: fastball, changeup, splitter, breaking ball, curveball,  slider.  When he can throw any of these with velocity and accuracy, he is formidable!

 

A Puritan prayer: “O LORD, we commune with Thee every day, but week days are worldly days, and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions. We bless Thee therefore for the day sacred to our souls when we can wait upon Thee and be refreshed; we thank Thee for the institutions of religion by use of which we draw near to Thee and Thou to us; we rejoice in another Lord’s Day when we call off our minds from the cares of the world and attend upon Thee without distraction.”  I read this on Sunday morning as I sat on a patio in Waterloo, Illinois – the morning was crisp and fresh, urging me toward personal worship in preparation for corporate worship.  As I began the sweet time of communion, a neighbor’s lawn mower started – really, Lord?  Rather than allow the distraction to aggravate me, I was drawn even nearer with thoughts of how the moment illustrates the reality of life for us.  I remembered King Solomon’s prayer of dedication [for the Lord’s Temple], “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like You, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart.” (1 Kings 8:23).  How does one do anything with a whole heart!  Another significant trait of an effective pitcher is the ability to block out – fan noise, chatter from the opposing team – various distractions that hinder delivering the right pitch at the right place at the right time.  Solomon later used the phrase “pay close attention,” which is key to remaining steady in worship, in study, in prayer life, in service, in faithfulness to God.  In those short moments on the patio, I realized I was sitting inside a fence and while the fence didn’t filter noise of the world, the Holy Spirit worked [inside the fence] nonetheless to draw my heart and mind to Himself.  What a precious time He and I enjoyed there in those undistracted moments.  That sacred day of the week is needed, Scriptural and blessed, but the worldly day – the secular days – is where we spend most of our time.  Keep close to The Father and enjoy the heavenly impressions every day!