Thursday, March 24, 2011

How to Get God’s Attention

Do you ever feel like God isn’t listening? Do you ever feel like your prayers are just bouncing around in your head, not going beyond you?Its frustrating isn’t it?

Well imagine yourself in a room, your sitting in a chair, you close your eyes to pray, with no distractions around you and then you open them, there Jesus is sitting right in front of you. He is nodding his head responding and hearing everything your saying.

Is it possible to feel like Jesus is that attentive to your prayers?
YES, I think it is.

Lets start with something simple that we know well to do or maybe we aren’t so good at. HOW DO YOU GET A PERSONS ATTENTION?
1.Acknowledge them.
-Say there name.
- Tap them on the shoulder.
- Shout to them (Hey Jon! Can I speak with you?!)
2. Greet them.
- Hey how ya doin?
- Whats new?
-Its really great to see you!
3. Speak to them.
- Your concern or info/content needed to be expressed.

So how do we communicate to GOD?
1. Acknowledge HIM.
-calling on His name
-removing all other distractions
2. Greet HIM.
- praising Him
- Putting Him above all others including yourself
3. SPEAK TO HIM.
- Lay your burdens at His feet.
- matters of the day and of the future or past.

What do those things have in common? They both Take INITIATIVE.

Jeremiah 29:11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,”

How people Got Jesus’ Attention:

Mary and Joseph greeted Him then searched for Him.
King Herod sent searchers/messengers.
A man with leprosy and ruler kneeled before Him.
A centurion asking for help.
Two Blind men called out to Him. “Have mercy on us!”
A mother and two sons waited for Him.
The Pharisees interrupted Him.
A Canaanite women Cried out to Him.
A woman simply touched his cloak.

You see its not how do I get God’s attention its how do I get myself to take initiative.


I can’t get His Attention,

1. Check my heart.
- What am I giving my focus to?
- What/who am I giving my heart to?
- A lot of times we wont notice our hearts and attention is in the wrong place. We could be devoting ourselves to a bunch of nothings!! And not notice.
- God desires all of us. He is a jealous God.

2. Check my Motive.
-Trend seeker? Or Genuine curiosity?

3. Check my initiative.
- Finding Him in the word.
- Finding Him in my prayer.
- Finding Him in worship.
- Finding Him in Creation.

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

In my life i have struggled with this only for one reason, I pushed God away and accused him of leaving me behind when in fact my hand was against God instead of reaching for Him. God seeks us on a daily basis, all hours of the day. When i had a time of falling away he sure did seek me, but....HE COULD NOT FIND ME. I was ashamed and broken. Pushing him away while going deeper into this world. Maybe you dont feel like you have His attention but ask yourself why. You my be happy and content with life now but later you might realize how miserable you really were.

so....When He seeks you will He find you?

Right now He knows your thoughts, He knows your intentions, He knows your dreams, He knows your desires, He knows what you want. Because…HE DESIRES YOU. YOU ARE HIS THOUGHTS. YOU ARE HIS INTENTION. YOU ARE HIS DREAM. YOU ARE WHAT HE WANTS.