Attention Spans
A couple of years ago the software giant Microsoft conducted a study of 2,000 people. They discovered that the average human attention span has declined.[1] In 2000 the average attention span was 12 seconds. In 2015 it had dropped to worse than a goldfish:
| Attention span of a goldfish
9 seconds |
Attention span of humans
8 seconds |
The report theorized that this short attention span largely has to do with the impact of a digitized lifestyle. That is, because we use so much digital media these days, we’re used to doing a lot of things quickly, but paying attention to none of it for very long.
This reality makes the possibility of Paul’s command, which we explored for the first time last Sunday, all the more challenging:
“pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17 ESV)
Paul holds out a vision for the spiritual life in which we are engaging with God in an ongoing fashion–not just in a quiet time or in a worship service. Yet, we can’t seem to pay attention to anything for more than a few seconds. It leaves us wondering, is this even realistic?
Actually, this vision of the spiritual is very realistic. Consider the fact that many of us have the experience of continually thinking about negative things. This is reflected in these two texts from the Bible:
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen. 6:5 ESV)
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall. 20 My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. (Lam. 3:19-21 ESV)
When we become someone does something bad to us–hurts us, breaks our heart–we think about it continually. We think about hurting them constantly. We’re up at night thinking about it. Or when we’ve gone through suffering of any kind, physical, mental or emotion, we often think about it continually. We can’t stop thinking about it. We know that it’s possible to focus on something in an unceasing way. It often happens to us when it comes to negative things. These two verses point this out. Our own experience points this out.
But this happens in a positive way too, doesn’t it? We have positive experiences like a great vacation, or a person who fills our heart with joy, and we just can’t stop thinking about that experience or that person. We day dream about them. We lie awake thinking about them.
We see a glimpse of this in the Psalms:
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. (Ps. 1:1-2)
The psalmist says that what he is experiencing about God as he reads Scripture is so captivating, he thinks about it day and night. He is so enamored with God, he meditates on God unceasingly.
All of this is what undergirds Paul’s image of praying in an unceasing manner. It’s possible to be so captivated by God, so drawn to God, that we, naturally, engage him in an ongoing and unceasing way. We become dissatisfied with only connecting with him in quiet times or worship services and seek him day and night. We’re exploring this vision in this series over four Sundays.
Unceasing Relationship with God
Last week we explored this verse in terms of resources. We pray in an unceasing way because it gives us access to the divine resource we need. Today we explore this verse in terms of relationship. We also pray in an unceasing way because it allows us to experience the divine relationship we need. We were created for a relationship with God that is unceasing. We were created for a relationship with God that far beyond just connecting occasionally with him.
The writer of Chronicles puts it this way:
10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! (1 Chron. 16:10-11 ESV)
We are to seek the presence of God continually. Unceasingly. This constant relationship is what we were made for.
This is the picture of spirituality which we see at the beginning and end of the Bible’s story.
- We see it in Genesis. Adam and Eve and God in the Garden. Enjoying uninterrupted relationship with one another.
- And this is the picture we see at the end of the book of Revelation. New heaven. New earth. God and humanity enjoying uninterrupted relationship with one another.
Thus the writer of Chronicles calls us to seek God’s presence continually. We were made for an ongoing, uninterrupted relationship with God. Unceasing prayer is one way in which we experience this.
And we can experience this because God’s presence is available to us all the time. David writes this:
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways…7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,”…13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb….16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance (Ps. 139: 1-16 ESV)
God’s presence is always near. No matter where we are. No matter when we are. We were made to connect with that presence at all times.
Earlier this year Highland member Alice Jackson died. In 2013, Alice shared a letter with me. She wrote in this letter about how God is always near:
We thank God for another new day,
we wake up to go about our task; with God’s help;
When we get up God is with us,
when we go about our daily work, God is by our side;
If it’s saying good morning to our neighbors–God is by our side;
if it’s washing dishes, God is helping us;
if we are fixing a meal, God is helping us;
if we are making up a bed, God is with us;
if we are running the vacuum–God is helping us;
It’s a blessing to know we have help to go about our daily task, even when we go outside to see the beauty God has made for us to look at; God is with us;
Now we need to take time out and be with God and let him know how much we appreciate him by meditating on his word and reading his words and praying;
And then when we go about our task again, God is with us;
if it’s going to the store to buy food and other things we need
or going to work
or going shopping for other things, God is with us;
if our work is Day Care, God is by our side,
if it’s babysitting in a home, God is with us;
if we are driving from place to place to deliver things to a business place, God is helping us;
if it’s office work, God is with us… [Alice Jackson]
No matter where we are and no matter how common what we are doing is, God is present and we can connect with that presence. We were made for this continual connection with God. Unceasing prayer becomes one of the ways in which we realize this truth.
Unceasing Relationship with Christ
In his book Union with Christ, Rankin Wilbourne points out that this is especially true for those of us who follow Jesus. Wilbourne reveals something important about the way Paul describes those of us who follow Jesus. Not once does Paul describes us as ‘Christians.’ But more than 160 times Paul describes us as ‘in Christ.’[2] Here are some examples:
- There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Rom. 8:1
- Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus – Rom. 16:3
- Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus – Eph. 1:1
- For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Eph. 2:10
Over and over, more than 160 times, Paul describes those of us who follow Jesus as people who are “in Christ.” What this refers to is our union with Christ. We are one with Christ. We are in Christ. And Christ is in us.
Wilbourne confesses that when he saw this, it created a massive shift in his understanding of spirituality.
| Jesus as one who
died OUTSIDE us |
Jesus as one who
dwells INSIDE us |
Previously he thought of Jesus mostly as a saviour outside of him who did great miracles, taught great words, and died on the cross. But now, he understands, Jesus is also one who dwells inside of him and unites his life to Wilbourne’s.[3]
That means that wherever we go, Jesus goes. Wherever we are, Jesus also is. We are therefore always in the presence of Christ. Everywhere we are is a place where we are in the presence of Christ. We were made to experience this unceasing, uninterrupted relationship with Christ.
Unceasing prayer therefore becomes a way in which we can experience and express that relationship with Christ.
Practicing the Presence of God
A 2009 article in the Chicago Tribune told the story of Bettye Tucker, a Christian cook who works the night shift at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.[4] Bettye has been been working the night shift for 28 of her 43 years at the hospital. The article drew attention to her compassion for people. In the hours leading up to the article, she served food to a mother whose three-year-old fell out of a second story window that morning, another mother whose seventeen-year-old was battling a rare form of leukemia, and a third mother whose eighteen-year-old had endured seven hours of brain surgery.
The article also drew attention to her prayers. Not the prayers she prayed at a church worship service, or a quiet time at home. The prayers she prayed on the expressway and at work. Because she believed that even there she was in the presence of God and the presence of Christ. She believed she was made for connection with God and Christ even there. And even there she prayed.
She said this in the article: “I pray every night, for every room and every person in the hospital. I start with the basement, and I go up, floor by floor, room by room. I pray for the children, I pray for the families, I pray for the nurses and the doctors. … I say, every night while I’m driving in on the expressway, ‘Oh, Lord, I don’t know what I’ll face tonight, but I pray you’ll guide me through.'”
This is the reality we live in. Even on the expressway we are in the presence of God. Even on the nightshift we are in the presence of Christ. We are made for an unceasing connection with God and Christ, even there. And even there we can engage in prayer.
There was, in fact, another cook who was famous for his practice of unceasing prayer. His name was Brother Lawrence. His way of engaging in unceasing prayer was called Practicing the Presence of God. Practicing the Presence of God is a way to pray without ceasing.
Here are the basic facts about Brother Lawrence:
| Brother Lawrence – “Practicing the Presence of God”
1. born: 1611 France into poverty 2. 1629 became a Christian 3. 1666 entered religious community of Carmelites in Paris. 4. Lay Brother 5. Took name Brother Lawrence 6. Served mostly in hospital kitchen 7. died: 1691 in this community. |
Brother Lawrence became famous for his ability to pray without ceasing, to practice everything he was doing with an awareness that he was doing it in the presence of God. He would rinse dishes as if doing them in the presence of God. He would cook, giving praise to Christ. He would clean up after the meals in constant conversation with the Father.
Here is how he described what came to be called Practicing the Presence of God:[5]
| [6] | “You need to accustom yourself to continual conversation with Him—a conversation which is free and simple. We need to recognize that God is always intimately present with us and address Him every moment.” [Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, 55] |
| “I made it my business to be in the Lord’s presence just as much throughout the day as I did when I came to my appointed time of prayer. I drove anything from my mind that was capable of interrupting my thought of God. I did this all the time, every hour, every minute, even in the height of my daily business.” [Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, 60] | [7] |
| [8] | “Forget him the very least you can.” [Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence, 91]
|
For Brother Lawrence, it was a great joy to be able to keep a running conversation going with God and Christ all day long. Praising God for the good things. Lamenting the hard things. But in all things, praying.
Emma Daniel Gray died on June 8, 2009, at the age of 95.[9] There was a big story about her in the Washington Post because for 24 years she was the woman who cleaned the office of the President of the United States. She served six presidents before she retired in 1979. The story drew attention to her prayers. Not those she prayed at a church service. Not those she prayed at a quiet time at home. Those she prayed at work. She believed even there she was in the presence of God. Even there she was in the presence of Christ. She believed she was made for ongoing connection with God and Christ even there. So even there she prayed. With cleaning supplies in one hand, and the chair of the president under the other hand, she would pray. She would ask God to bless the one who sat in that chair. She would pray without ceasing.
This week, practice the presence of God. That is, keep a running conversation with God. Talk to God about everything you’re doing every day all day this week. Thank him as good things happen. Lament as bad things happen. Pray for each person you interact with or are around.
You’re capable of engaging with God for longer than a goldfish. And God is longing for it. Practice the pre
[1] Kevin McSpadden, “You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish,” Time.com (5/14/2015); Kim Komando, “No WAY men are better than women at doing this one thing,” Kim Komando blog (5/16/2015)
[2] Rankin Wilbourne, Union with Christ, 43, 87.
[3] Union with Christ, 35.
[4] Barbara Mahany, “Cooking up compassion,” Chicago Tribune (9-20-09).
[5] Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence (Nicolas Herman) & Frank Laubach
[6] https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeophotos/8992598102/in/photolist-eGDq7S-NNQNp-ormeKq-e4PoJt-7Lug26-ecmH2d-RymKC1-91uGTJ-2jGKuD-91vXKd-s7UAre-QANhGb-rJNTb-8uk94z-87Rrze-dxG3tH-JQd9-dGNG6N-s2fR1J-8GsirE-dscRxG-5vFvJA-p4YLDa-77ykTG-63oiqz-e288S8-nFsQKC-7KS2bg-6qgnpg-fw2SHK-8eE4xm-8Axsww-cmMZMU-doeWwG-b5n4Yk-S9ttRy-fhHDZF-f6owmc-q3HqkP-hLHWAU-7sumuF-aVmvmX-8pNeAi-pJM9sK-7LNVBu-eajcUy-7rT49t-zCLN9-ehPb4o-7CWFKJ
[7] https://www.flickr.com/photos/93852381@N08/14112050311/in/photolist-nv2WUg-5sgCpK-5sgB4B-5skXmu-8BbFPM-dRnfcK-5skYmh-jVF2tL-aiBh4R-7Ret5Y-8FQE3-e6PSM-cmLN7y-oaempj-8FL8N4-dpEN7H-Twq5Q9-7UFn1q-7sM5G-jj913-iyXiJf-dsnv6Y-8BePuN-SoEAEW-hwsiQK-fcNir9-8ZmApz-5sgzBH-D2Daq-8uuNNo-5sm1EL-5sgCck-5sm1UA-ao8z1U-6wcozk-pfqdVE-5sgBWp-Lhor6E-5skWYw-5skZBA-5skX9o-5sgBHP-dEESPT-phqbjb-cFh8sh-5sgE84-5eSKcv-5skZQj-o5huCE-iQQKM2
[8] https://www.flickr.com/photos/geezaweezer/15602306122/in/photolist-pLHU2Y-bbsKcv-pGk6ri-QzoKc9-SUUByb-8vjdj5-ojHkkv-T4UdsX-ghVebd-8DJGrV-dXjz6T-7U7qvz-pccewY-8tJoXa-pPqn9e-4DmidS-6DRLT-58cDoD-UDY6aA-qYz4FR-4cAjgA-goQgVL-r5nSUL-8ZhiNo-GjVnY-gntH1U-R1exDs-T8Ybkc-fkhjoU-ng2jwg-8h6nuF-k5Wag-pe1PMY-obvMDh-q8AWsY-r2Jc1B-7qb4LZ-ef85Mi-dQaT4f-dYqgR1-oYLY4x-qSwBQq-aLn9DZ-9DjC4z-ee5jD8-5S8zS1-77cM4R-RGiVuu-4dve67-Hv3zYL
[9] Patricia Sullivan, “‘Christian Lady’ Cleaned for 6 Presidents,” The Washington Post (6-21-09)
