Session 19

May I have your attention please?

From Jeremiah: A 33-Day Devotional

In nearly every story in the Bible, God is attempting to get someone’s attention.

Jeremiah 19 describes how the people in Judah had turned away from God, worshipping idols and sacrificing to other gods. Pleading for them to listen, the prophet Jeremiah sought to get their attention by smashing clay pots into tiny pieces, demonstrating the end result of their hardened hearts — a broken nation populated with broken people.

Today, God is trying to get our attention. Are we aware of His presence or does the busyness of life have us distracted? Do we feel overwhelmed and stressed, like our lives are about to break into a thousand pieces?

God wants a close, personal relationship with each of us. He wants us to know the peace and comfort of a loving heavenly Father. One way to hear from God and be more sensitive to His presence is by reading the Bible. Another way God gets our attention is through the situations and people we encounter each day. The friend you keep running into by “accident” or the invitation you received to join a NewSpring Group may be God directing you to your next step. The “no” you received at school or work may actually be God’s “yes” to another door He is opening.  

Keeping busy and taking in the best the world has to offer is the way to end up like Judah. If we’ll seek God, read the Bible, and be sensitive to everyday opportunities, we’ll see God do more in our lives than we ever thought possible.

Reflect:

• What are one or two regular distractions in your life? How are these things pulling your attention away from who God is and what He wants for your life?
• When was the last time you saw God use a particular situation or encounter to influence your life? How did that change your view of the way works through the everyday?