“Undistracted"

  "Undistracted"

   "Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). 

   Only One has lived a human lifetime with a mind perfectly "stayed on Thee".  Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled His title as "the Prince of peace" (Isaiah 9:6).  All others who trust and seek God await the experience of complete tranquility empowered by a fixed gaze on Him.  Even the most godly believers confess to distraction and to missing so much of that which could be known of the Lord always present, involved, and active on the behalf of His children.  Indeed, the same David who affirmed, "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord" also confessed in times of trouble, "I am distracted" (Psalm 25:15; Psalm 88:15).  We live in a world of flesh and devils, and our sensibilities are far from being glorified.  Thus, we must live in expectation of distraction, or rather, of the temptations to distraction continually offered by our enemies.

    By "distraction", we do not mean that believers must directly think about God in every moment.  We do not possess the mental capacity for such undivided concentration.  The mother who cares for her children must think well about her duties.  Nurses attending to patients require a focused mind in order to give proper attention to their needs.  Carpenters require undivided attention in order to properly build and repair.  In every human endeavor, we must think well in order to perform well.  Thus, our Lord would not have us think that a stayed mind presently involves the attempt to ponder Him in every moment.  He is with us, of course, and pervades every moment with a background consciousness, as it were, in the sensibilities of those devoted to His glory and will.  "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16).  Remaining undistracted, however, does not require the impossibility of attempting to focus our minds on two subjects at once.

   Our calling involves the consistent directing of our attention to God and His truth, as opportunity allows.  This constitutes a different experience for all believers, as guided by the principles of Scripture and the Holy Spirit.  That which may provide opportunity for one might loom as an obstacle for another.  Certainly we learn from each others' example of walking with our Lord in faith and faithfulness.  However, we must seek Him along the personal path He paves for us.  Where might I be distracted from availing myself of the opportunities to "look for Him"? (Isaiah 8:17).  What ways of staying my mind exist that I have not considered? How can I more avail myself of the possibilities I know to be available for focused attention to the Life of my life?  Keeping these questions at the heart of our walk with the Lord goes far in keeping Him much in heart and mind.  Growing peace awaits as we more consistently stay our minds on the One whose mind is perfectly stayed upon us...  

"The Lord thinketh upon me."

(Psalm 40:17)

"I will look unto the Lord."

(Micah 7:7)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

(I Corinthians 15:58)