My friend is going through a tough time right now and some difficult decisions are being made. She really needs to seek God and get his heart on the matter so she can proceed even if the decision goes against her own natural preferences.

She sent an email to another friend asking for prayer and giving some of the details about what is going on. The friend responded by emphasizing that she needs to focus on God right now and not the particulars. She said to me this morning; “That sounds right and I’d like to do it but exactly how do you focus on God? What does that really mean in a practical sense?”

I think it is a good question. Some spiritual answers float along in the sky above where we really live so they don’t do us much good. This one doesn’t have to be that way. My suggestion is to start with a short simple prayer to the Holy Spirit for help. After that, ask yourself the question; what do I admire about Jesus? When we think about a friend we admire, we often remember an incident that shows their wonderful qualities.

When some attribute of the Lord comes to mind, go with it. Perhaps it is kindness and you suddenly think back to where his kindness really shone through. Let your mind wander around in that attribute.

Whether it lasted a minute or a half hour you just focused on God. Will that solve your own problem? I don’t know why it works this way but often the answer is yes. Are you in a dilemma right now? Focus on God.