Distractions

I’ve traveled to Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico on three separate mission trips. On each of these trips, I had deep, emotional, and intimate encounters with God. While I was on my trip to Belize, God showed me how being pulled away from distraction, from routine, from technology, and from responsibilities allowed me to hear from my Heavenly Father clearly and grow closer to Him.

One morning in Belize, I woke up early and walked to the beach before sunrise. I sat on a nearby dock and watched the waves lap at the beach. At the water’s edge, God spoke to me so strongly, and so clearly. Since those mission trips, I’ve noticed that when I need to talk to God, when I need answers, when I need to feel His intimacy, I have to get away. I have to find a place that’s quiet and away from the distractions of everyday life. When we look at scripture, we see this theme repeated.

In Exodus, we see Moses spend forty years in the wilderness before God spoke to him through a burning bush. God pulled Moses away from the life he once knew in Egypt, away from leadership, away from status. Moses was stripped of self-sufficiency and forced into dependence on God. It was there, in isolation and obscurity, that God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt.

Elijah experienced something similar in 1 Kings 19. After defeating the prophets of Baal, Elijah fled into the wilderness exhausted, discouraged, and afraid for his life. Eventually, God brought him to Mount Horeb, where Elijah waited for Him to speak. Scripture tells us that God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but instead spoke through a “still small voice.”

The Apostle Paul also spent time isolated before fully stepping into ministry. Galatians 1 tells us that Paul went away into Arabia before beginning his ministry publicly. God did not immediately place Paul into the center of leadership and influence after his conversion.

Even Jesus repeatedly withdrew from people in order to spend time alone with the Father. In Luke 5:16, we are told that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” If anyone could have justified staying busy, it was Jesus. Crowds constantly surrounded Him, people continually needed Him, and there was always more work to do. Yet He still intentionally stepped away from people, responsibilities, and demands in order to spend time with the Father. If Jesus Himself needed time away from distraction and busyness to pray and reconnect with the Father, then how much more do we?

The common thread through all of these stories is separation from distraction and ordinary life. Moses was removed from Egypt. Elijah was removed from the chaos and pressure surrounding him. Paul was removed from public life and influence. Jesus intentionally removed Himself from crowds and responsibilities to spend time alone with the Father. Again and again, scripture shows God speaking in places of solitude, stillness, and isolation.

Modern life makes this increasingly difficult. Most of us are surrounded by constant noise and stimulation from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep. We are constantly overstimulated and overwhelmed. The second we become bored, uncomfortable, lonely, or quiet, we immediately reach for our phones. We scroll through social media, turn on TV shows, listen to podcasts, play video games, text people, or distract ourselves in some other way. Silence has become uncomfortable for many people because silence leaves room for reflection, conviction, prayer, and dependence on God.

Psalm 46:10 tells us to, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness requires intentionality now because our world constantly competes for our attention. We struggle to hear from God clearly because our minds rarely slow down long enough to listen. Even when our surroundings are quiet, our attention usually is not.

Modern distraction works perfectly against stillness and intimacy with God. The enemy does not always need destruction to pull people away from God; sometimes distraction works just as effectively. If Satan can keep us constantly entertained, constantly scrolling, constantly busy, and constantly consuming noise, then many of us never slow down long enough to pray deeply, reflect honestly, sit in silence, or listen for the voice of God. Busyness and distraction keep our attention fixed everywhere except on Him.

There is a reason so many people feel close to God during mission trips, retreats, camps, or difficult seasons of life. Being able to get away pulls us from the distractions that normally consume our attention. When the noise quiets down, there is finally room to hear Him clearly.

Since my trip to Belize, getting away from everyday life has become necessary for me spiritually. When I need clarity, I go somewhere quiet. When I need to pray, I step away from distraction. When life becomes overwhelming and noisy, I put down the phone. I have learned that I cannot hear clearly while constantly consuming noise from every direction. God has never stopped speaking, but many of us have forgotten how to be still long enough to listen.