How do I deepen my prayer life?
The Wall of Distraction
The end of Luke chapter 10, beginning at v. 38, surfaces several issues worthy of discussion. The most pressing topics are distraction and prayer. This begs the question: have you ever been distracted during prayer? The truth is we live in an extremely distracted age. Modern technology, particularly media technology, offers a wealth of distractions: streaming platforms, social media updates, news updates, and a constant flurry of emails in our inbox create a cycle of distraction. I will call this phenomenon the “wall of distraction.”
In Luke 10:38-42 we meet two sisters who illustrate this point: Martha and Mary. Jesus comes to their home on his way to Jerusalem and they display a bifurcated response to his presence. We read this: “And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving (10:38).” Did you hear that? Martha was distracted; Mary sat at Jesus feet and listened. There is the tension.
Three questions arise which I would like you to consider: (1) When are you distracted? (2) What distracts you? (3) Once you answer those questions, you should then ask this question: how can I remove the distractions?
Get Focused
When the text tells us the Martha was distracted, the Greek word (perispaomai) has the sense of something “pulling you away.” We are told that Martha was distracted with “much serving,” which seems counterintuitive. How can serving be seen in a negative light? I think Luke is pointing out that Martha is engaging in selfish service. In other words, sometimes we serve for the wrong reasons. Rather than truly giving of our time and talents we might want recognition to gain a form of power and influence. This is evidenced in Martha’s life by her confrontation with Jesus himself in v. 40:
But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” (Luke 10:40, ESV)
I picture her interrupting Jesus mid-sentence and then attempting to pull him into whatever family drama is happening with Mary. Jesus, for his part, graciously responds to Martha and points out that her distractions are a result of anxiety. The solution is to follow Mary’s example by choosing the “good portion.” What is the good portion? Psalm 119:57 tells us that the “LORD is our portion.” Or put another way, Jesus must be the focus of our prayers—our entire life! When that happens, all the distractions fall away.
Pray The Pattern
Now, you might say, “Jesus is the focus of my prayers but how do I pray?!” I’m glad you asked, because it is the same query the disciples make of Jesus in Luke 11:1. After observing Jesus prayer life, they come to him and say, “Lord … teach us to pray!” Jesus responds by giving them a pattern: one address, two statements, and three requests. Often our prayers are dominated by self-focused requests motivated by distractions in the world. To counter this, Jesus says—before you make any requests—recognize who you are talking to and how to approach him.
The address is to “Our Father,” which recognizes that God has both authority over us and intimacy with us. The statements, “Hallowed be your name and your Kingdom come” are reminders that God is holy and offers hope. He is set apart from this world, but his desire is to eradicate sin and chaos now. With that in mind, now we make three requests: (1) Basic needs (2) Forgiveness (3) Protection. That is what we need—let’s not get distracted by everything else.
In sum—if you want to remove distractions in prayer you need to get focused but you also have to pray the pattern. That is what Jesus teaches his disciples when they ask.
Ask with Audacity
Once the first two pieces are in place—now we get to the fun part. Jesus tells us that when we pray—ask with audacity! He closes the section by telling two parables, which explain how to approach God and what to expect from him. For the sake of time, I will simply note that God is a good God and we should expect good gifts from him. He is our Father who loves us.
But how do we approach him? The first parable outlines a scenario where a friend, rather boldly, comes to another friend late in the night asking for bread. While this may be annoying to some, Jesus says this request is successful due to the requester’s “impudence (11:8, ESV).” What is impudence? The original word can mean shameless boldness. Or, put another way, audacity. The reason the person received help is because they asked with audacity!
Jesus tells us, when pursuing God we must ask, seek and knock (11-9-10). Many of us don’t receive because we don’t ask. Where do you need to make a bold request of God today? Do you need to ask with audacity? This is a surefire way to remove distraction because now you are asking with a purpose. Health problem? Ask. Financial problem? Ask. Family problem? Ask.
And expect our good father to offer grace in our moment of need.
