“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” —Luke 10:41‒42a.
I was visiting a home in a South Carolina mill town when the conversation turned to prayer. In the course of our discussion, I confessed that I sometimes let daily concerns distract me from communicating freely with God.
“I know what you mean,” the lady of the house said. “It was so difficult for me to pray while I was having financial troubles a few months ago. I worried so much, my prayers didn’t seem to go higher than the ceiling.
“I couldn’t sleep one night because of it. I paced the floor and cried out to God, but still I could get no sense of peace about my situation. So I went outside and climbed up the ladder that a roofing crew had left there in the middle of a repair job, just to sit on the roof and pray. I said, ‘Lord, I don’t want anything to come between us—not even this roof.’ Right away, I felt God’s peace settle over me and I knew I would be all right.”
The roof wasn’t the obstacle, of course. Preoccupation with her financial needs (including the roof repair) was. So when she put herself physically in a posture that disregarded all of those concerns, she was able to converse with God freely again.
I don’t recommend that you climb up on the roof in the middle of the night. But see if you can put yourself in a posture that disregards everything distracting you from God so that you can talk freely with him and he with you.
Lord, I don’t want anything to distract me from You, not even this ________________. The one thing I really need is my relationship with you. Amen!
Joe Allison, Coordinator, Publishing and Creative Services for Church of God Ministries, Inc.; CGM Liaison, Transformation Team Connect/Refresh
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