Chapter 29—What to Do When the Mind Wanders

BIBLE GEM

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”—Isaiah 26:3CWG 71.1

QUESTION

How can one keep his mind from wandering while he is praying?CWG 71.2

ANSWER

Bring it back: “Daily prayer is as essential to growth in grace, and even to spiritual life itself, as is temporal food to physical well-being. We should accustom ourselves to often lift the thoughts to God in prayer. If the mind wanders, we must bring it back; by persevering effort, habit will finally make it easy.”—Messages to Young People, 115CWG 71.3

Effort required: “Gird up the loins of your mind, says the apostle; then control your thoughts, not allowing them to have full scope. The thoughts may be guarded and controlled by your own determined efforts.”—The Adventist Home, 54CWG 71.4

Prayer for help: “However great one's spiritual light, however much he may enjoy the divine favor and blessing, he should ever walk humbly before the Lord, pleading in faith that God will direct every thought and control every impulse.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 421CWG 71.5

“Christ alone can direct the thoughts aright.”—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 323CWG 71.6

Be constantly on guard: “God would have you trust in His love, and be constantly guarding your soul by locking the gate of your thoughts, that they shall not become unmanageable.”—Sons and Daughters of God, 298CWG 71.7

Listen for God's voice: “We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ ” (Psalm 46:10).—The Desire of Ages, 363CWG 71.8

Kneel before God: “Both in public and in private worship it is our privilege to bow on our knees before God when we offer our petitions to Him.”—Prophets and Kings, 48CWG 72.1

“Let this act testify that the whole soul, body, and spirit are in subjection to the Spirit of truth.”—Selected Messages 2:314CWG 72.2

“Man must come on bended knee, as a subject of grace, a suppliant at the footstool of mercy.”—Selected Messages 2:315CWG 72.3

Praying aloud: “He [Jesus] spent whole nights in prayer upon the lonely mountains. ... It was on our account that He poured out His prayers to His Father with strong cries and tears.”—Testimonies For The Church 3:379CWG 72.4

“At the sound of fervent prayer, Satan's whole host trembles.”—Testimonies For The Church 1:346CWG 72.5

SUMMARY AND PRAYER THOUGHT

Salvation is rich and free, we cannot earn it and we certainly do not deserve it. Salvation is a gift! Freely given when we come with humble hearts, recognizing our great need.CWG 72.6

After salvation we have a difficult task ahead of us. Nothing short of blood, sweat and tears on our knees, a lot of hard work in prayer and total focus of our attention, will ultimately help us to develop an intimate relationship with God. It takes a lot of effort to establish a meaningful, intimate relationship with the Trinity.CWG 72.7

We need to completely refocus and sort out our priorities, change our aims and purposes and learn to concentrate on our glorious new goals, and everything else must fall by the wayside.CWG 72.8

Loving Lord Jesus, we cannot even focus our minds by ourselves when we pray. Please help us and set our minds on eternal goals. Help us to focus with full attention on heaven and please reprogram our wandering brains to become heavenly minded and may nothing derail us from Your eternal purpose for our lives.CWG 72.9