How God Captures Our Attention To Bless Us

Apr 29, 2020 | by Mike Prah

HOW GOD CAPTURES OUR ATTENTION TO BLESS US – Part 1

Bible Study

Mike Prah, Pastor

Our Heavenly Father always wants the best for His children. So when we begin to wander from the center of His will, He acts to recapture our attention and protect us from harm. If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will. He speaks directly to our hearts through the Holy Spirit, but also has other ways to get our attention:

Psalm 1

1. A RESTLESS SPIRIT

Read Esther 6:1-10. How did God direct the king to honor Mordecai?

If you experience inner restlessness—connected to dissatisfaction with the status quo—first make sure you aren’t ignoring an area of sin. Then ask the Lord if He’s trying to say something to you.

Think about the last time you experienced a major life change—for instance, changing jobs, moving to a new area of Christian service, or entering a season of rest. Did God speak to you through restlessness?

2. UNANSWERED PRAYER

Sometimes God will answer a prayer with “No.” He may want to deal with sin or misplaced priorities. Or He may have something more important in store for us.

What did the Lord eventually reveal to Paul about why God did not remove his “thorn” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)?

Think of an unanswered prayer from your life—either one that was eventually fulfilled or one that remains unanswered. What has the Father done in you as a result?

3. AN UNUSUAL BLESSING

To get our attention, God may show His favor in unexpected ways.

What prompted one Roman jailer to ask how he could be saved (Acts 16:16-34)?

The jailer recognized that supernatural power was at work, and his experience prepared him to become a follower of Christ. God can also use things such as financial provision, the beauty of nature, or the birth of a child to awaken people spiritually.

Luke 5:1-11 – Peter, James, and John leave their finishing business after the miraculous catch to follow Jesus.

What blessings have renewed your desire to seek the Lord wholeheartedly?

4. TRAGEDY, SICKNESS, OR FINANCIAL TROUBLES

We should regard our afflictions as reasons to ask the Lord, “What are You trying to tell me?”

What was God’s purpose in Hezekiah’s illness (2 Chronicles 32:22-26 MSG)?

Why did the Father allow the Midianites to devastate His people’s land (Judges 6:3-6 MSG)?

God wants to speak to us in the midst of hardship—even if our troubles have no connection to sin. He will impart new wisdom, show how to overcome despite suffering, or give fresh revelations about Himself.

If you are facing adversity right now, ask the Lord what He wants you to learn in this season.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You much for capturing my attention when my devotion wanders from You or when I need to change direction. Help me to be sensitive to the various ways You speak to me, and obedient to follow what You reveal. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGES

ESTHER 6:1-10 (MSG) “That night the king couldn’t sleep. He ordered the record book, the day-by-day journal of events, to be brought and read to him. They came across the story there about the time that Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh—the two royal eunuchs who guarded the entrance and who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. 3 The king asked, “What great honor was given to Mordecai for this?” “Nothing,” replied the king’s servants who were in attendance. “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 The king said, “Is there anybody out in the court?” Now Haman had just come into the outer court of the king’s palace to talk to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had built for him. 5 The king’s servants said, “Haman is out there, waiting in the court.” “Bring him in,” said the king. 6-9 When Haman entered, the king said, “What would be appropriate for the man the king especially wants to honor?” Haman thought to himself, “He must be talking about honoring me—who else?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, do this: Bring a royal robe that the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crown on its head. Then give the robe and the horse to one of the king’s most noble princes. Have him robe the man whom the king especially wants to honor; have the prince lead him on horseback through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!’” 10 “Go and do it,” the king said to Haman. “Don’t waste another minute. Take the robe and horse and do what you have proposed to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the King’s Gate. Don’t leave out a single detail of your plan.”

2^nd CORINTHIANS 12:7-10 NLT: “… I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

ACTS 16:16-34 (MSG): One day, on our way to the place of prayer, a slave girl ran into us. She was a psychic and, with her fortunetelling, made a lot of money for the people who owned her. She started following Paul around, calling everyone’s attention to us by yelling out, “These men are working for the Most High God. They’re laying out the road of salvation for you!” She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, “Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!” And it was gone, just like that. 19-22 When her owners saw that their lucrative little business was suddenly bankrupt, they went after Paul and Silas, roughed them up and dragged them into the market square. Then the police arrested them and pulled them into a court with the accusation, “These men are disturbing the peace—dangerous Jewish agitators subverting our Roman law and order.” By this time the crowd had turned into a restless mob out for blood. 22-24 The judges went along with the mob, had Paul and Silas’s clothes ripped off and ordered a public beating. After beating them black-and-blue, they threw them into jail, telling the jailkeeper to put them under heavy guard so there would be no chance of escape. He did just that—threw them into the maximum security cell in the jail and clamped leg irons on them. 25-26 Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose. 27-28 Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: “Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!” 29-31 The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, “Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?” They said, “Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live—and everyone in your house included!” 32-34 They went on to spell out in detail the story of the Master—the entire family got in on this part. They never did get to bed that night. The jailer made them feel at home, dressed their wounds, and then—he couldn’t wait till morning!—was baptized, he and everyone in his family. There in his home, he had food set out for a festive meal. It was a night to remember: He and his entire family had put their trust in God; everyone in the house was in on the celebration.

LUKE 5:1-11 “One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. (NLT)

2^ND CHRONICLES 32:22-26 MSG “God saved Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem from Sennacherib king of Assyria and everyone else. And he continued to take good care of them. People streamed into Jerusalem bringing offerings for the worship of God and expensive presents to Hezekiah king of Judah. All the surrounding nations were impressed—Hezekiah’s stock soared. 24 Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. He prayed to God and was given a reassuring sign. 25-26 But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful, made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah, and Jerusalem with him, repented of his arrogance, and God withdrew his anger while Hezekiah lived.”

JUDGES 6:1-6 “Yet again the People of Israel went back to doing evil in God’s sight. God put them under the domination of Midian for seven years. Midian overpowered Israel. Because of Midian, the People of Israel made for themselves hideouts in the mountains—caves and forts. When Israel planted its crops, Midian and Amalek, the easterners, would invade them, camp in their fields, and destroy their crops all the way down to Gaza. They left nothing for them to live on, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. Bringing their cattle and tents, they came in and took over, like an invasion of locusts. And their camels—past counting! They marched in and devastated the country. The People of Israel, reduced to grinding poverty by Midian, cried out to God for help.” (MSG)