A Prayer When Your Mind Feels Pulled in Every Direction
By Whitney Hopler
Bible Reading
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” - Psalm 46:10, NIV
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Life gets so busy that it can often feel like a race against the clock. So many messages compete for your attention that you can become overwhelmed. Tasks can pile up until it seems like the only way to accomplish everything you have to do is to juggle several tasks at once. Multitasking can seem productive on the surface. You may feel a sense of accomplishment from working on several tasks simultaneously, and others may appreciate how you seem to be doing so much at work and at home.
But the truth is that the more you divide your attention, the more scattered your thoughts become. Your mind jumps from one thing to another when you work on more than one task at a time. As a result, your concentration weakens, so you’re actually less productive when you multitask than you are when you focus on just one task at a time. Even worse, multitasking brings unnecessary stress into your life and steals the peace God wants you to enjoy.
Multitasking often comes from the feeling that everything depends on you. You rush from one responsibility to another because you’re trying to keep every part of life moving forward at the same time. The more pressure you feel, the more tempted you may be to multitask to try to get everything done.
God’s words in Psalm 46:10 can redirect your attention from yourself to God. You can release the pressure you’ve put on yourself because of the mistaken idea that everything depends on your own effort. When you follow God’s command to be still, your mind can settle into a more focused and peaceful state. Then you can remember that God is still God and become aware of God’s presence with you.
In this verse, God doesn’t tell you to be still so you can accomplish more. The purpose of being still is to know God more. God is directing your attention away from your performance and back to his character. He wants you to know that you can trust him to be in ultimate control over the nations, the earth, and every detail of your life here.
Multitasking tends to narrow your perspective until you see only the demands immediately in front of you. Being still expands your perspective so you can see that your life is part of a much larger story God is writing.
When you know that God is in control, you no longer have to carry the weight of controlling everything yourself. You can give your full attention to whatever is in front of you because you know you can trust God to handle the outcome of it. You can focus well on one task at a time. That gives you valuable freedom!
You can gradually break a multitasking habit. Maybe you start your day with a few quiet minutes in the morning after you wake up, thanking God for the gift of the day and just enjoying his presence before you start working through your to-do list. You may choose one task at work or at home to start doing on its own, instead of doing it along with other tasks as you used to, and enjoy how much better you can do it now and how much less stressful the experience is. Maybe in the evening, you give yourself permission to enjoy a wonder walk outside, where you’re paying full attention to what’s around you instead of looking at your phone.
As you multitask less and focus more, your days will become less stressful and more peaceful. Your priorities will start to change. Instead of trying to be as productive as possible, you’ll find yourself inspired to know God more. Nothing is more important than that!
Let’s Pray
Dear God, my life often feels rushed and stressful, and I admit I try to handle too much at once. Multitasking sometimes makes me feel like I’m accomplishing a lot. But I can see the truth now that it just scatters my thoughts and divides my attention, so I can’t focus well. Even though it seems like I’m productive, multitasking actually makes it harder to get things done because I’m constantly stopping and starting. Not only that, but I can’t experience the peace you want me to enjoy when I multitask. Please help me break the habit of multitasking and learn to focus on just one task at a time. Teach me how to slow down and be still before you. Help me release the pressure of trying to control everything and remember that you are God and I am not. When I’m busy and distracted, draw my attention back to your presence. Please show me how to focus on what truly matters and give me the courage to let go of what doesn’t. Give me the confidence that comes from trusting you. As I learn to be still, help me to grow closer to you each day. Thank you, God. Amen.
Discuss today’s devotional with others in the Your Daily Prayer thread on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Doucefleur
What battle are you carrying today?
Maybe it is an unanswered prayer, a painful loss, a strained relationship, a health concern, or a circumstance that feels far beyond your control. When life feels overwhelming, we can become so consumed by our emotions—or so busy trying to fix everything ourselves—that prayer is often one of the first things we neglect.
This week on The Love Offering Podcast, my friend Rachel Wojo joins me to talk about her new 90-day devotional, Praying Through Life’s Battles. Drawing from her experience of loving and losing her daughter, Taylor, Rachel shares how prayer has sustained her through unimaginable grief and reminded her that she never faces life’s battles alone.
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