DISTRACTION, NUMBNESS AND THE CARES OF THIS LIFE • PART I•PRAY
Will that Day come upon you like a trap?
I often catch myself imagining how would life be without the conveniences of modern life: washing machines, cellphones, and the internet are some that I think about the most. I don’t have to go too far to imagine it, as I remember my first years of ministry, living in the interior of Mozambique, before electricity ever got to the village I was living. Remembering those years and specially how people lived even further away from where we were, I don’t have a romantic view of life without technology. It is definitely not easy, especially for the less fortunate who can’t afford to hire help.
And yet, I still catch myself thinking of how free our minds were without so much information! How we seemed to have more time, just sitting around talking face to face with people and even admiring nature and thinking about life.
As it is, in our modern western world, there is always a way to distract ourselves. Our eyes are rarely just beholding, and our minds have little time to wonder peacefully. We are bombarded by images, news, short impactful phrases, to the point we rarely focus and meditate profoundly in anything. Our culture makes us feel like if we don’t move fast, stay engaged with everything that is going on, updated in every new technology, making the most money we can and increasing our capital we will fall behind our generation and “miss something” - which is never really clear what! We are most often distracted, numb, brainless taking in information that we won’t really retain. The truth is, the numbness of our brain seems very close to that of a drunk person, who is awake, but not truly aware of what is going on around them, and can’t really focus and meditate on what matters the most.
Jesus’ Warning for the Last Days
For years I have been impressed by one warning Jesus gave about the end times.
But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.[1]
It is very interesting that in this passage Jesus is not warning against deception or blatant sin (though there are strong warnings about these too). He speaks here about more subtle symptoms - or, may I suggest, the first signs (or even the cause) of a life that will end up in deception and sin.
He talks about a life of numbness, distraction, worries with daily life and cares. If we are honest, this might be the easiest trap for us, living in this fast pace life, full on information and distractions at the tip of our fingers.
This is not the only time Jesus makes this warning. In Luke 17:26-30 He chooses the same issues to compare the days of Noah, just before the Flood, and of Lot, just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, with the Last Days. We know from Scripture that before the Flood people were living in wickedness, and “sin was multiplying to the point God regretted making man, and it grieved his heart”.[2] Jesus could have spoken about this.
Sodom and Gomorrah were also wicked cities and “their sin was so grave that there were not ten righteous in both cities together”.[3] Jesus could have described the immorality, the lack of natural love, the unrighteousness that was happening in both situations. But instead he chose to describe normal, day to day activities: eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building. All these are legitimate activities that most of us practice. There is nothing inherently wrong with them.
The warning is clear and so relevant for our days: it is possible to be so engaged in normal, daily activities; to be so distracted by news and events; so busy pursuing hobbies and inoffensive passions, that we become numb to the prophecies, careless about the times we are living… and That Day of Judgement catches us surprise.
That drunken state is enough to make us perish and falling into that Day like a trap, but for most it doesn’t stop there. Just as with the people before the Flood and those living in Sodom and Gomorrah, this way of life will always lead into deceit, unrighteousness and sin, as a downhill road or the proverbial frog being slow cooked.
Jesus’ Solution for our Distraction and Numbness
I’m so thankful that, at the same time Jesus warns of us of the dangers of the Last Days, He always instructs us on the prevention against them. He shows us we can be awake, we can receive strength and we can stand before the Son of Man in His coming!
In this specific verse He gives us ONE activity we can be engaged in in order to not be caught unaware in the Last Day: PRAY. So simple. Nothing mysterious or unattainable. An activity accessible to all, from a little child to the most powerful king. We speak so much about it in the Christian world. There are thousands of books written about it. But do we really believe in it enough to actually put into practice? Do we open space in our modern, busy, distracted lives to actually close the doors (external and in our minds) and focus solely on our Father in heaven who is able to hear us and answer us?
I can say from experience that if you deny that this is a difficult activity, you probably have never consistently done it. It is not easy to pray! Ok, some days or seasons, it may be. We may be desperate and motivated to find God at any cost! Or we may be full of the Holy Spirit and anointing that it flows effortlessly! I’ve experienced both and it is amazing! But walking consistently with the Lord now for over thirty years and sharing experiences with others who have been even longer in this walk, I can assure you prayer is not always effortless and, more often than not, it is a struggle.
The first struggle is to start. To find the time and the physical place for this to happen[4]. “Normal life”, the flesh and spiritual forces will do anything to keep us from finding time in our busy and distracted schedules and a quiet place for us to be in prayer. And even when we do find time and space, the fight is not over: distractions will flood our minds and hearts, we will often feel numb and lethargic, excuses as to why we can’t sit still will intrude our thoughts! This is the reality!
But Jesus said PRAY that you will have strength! So instead of waiting to have strength to pray, we need to pray so we may have strength. In our weakness, in our distractedness and even in our numbness, let’s turn to prayer, believing that, as we obey Jesus, we will experience how powerful prayer truly is!
The only ones that were spared judgement in the examples Jesus gave of Luke 17 were those who were not numb or distracted. Lot was greatly distressed by what happened around him, and had his soul tormented over their lawless deeds[5] and Noah was righteously walking with God, listening to His voice and obeying.[6]
We know the answer doesn’t stop in prayer, but there is nothing else we can do to stay alert in these last days without cultivating a life of true, constant fellowship with God through prayer.
So I invite you. Stop scrolling. Close your door, wherever you may be, and dedicate a few minutes to praying and asking God for strength to escape all these things (being weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life) and stand before the Son of God. And make it a practice in your life to watch and pray!
Until next time!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How do you feel the times we are living differ from others, in regards to distraction, the use of our time and our senses being numbed?
How can a life of distraction and numbness lead to deceit and unrighteousness?
How can you personally obey Jesus in Luke 21:46-36?
[1] Luke 21:34-36
[2] Genesis 6:1-6
[3] Genesis 18:20-21,32
[4] Henri Nouwen’s little book “Making All Things New” lays a beautiful path to develop a spiritual life through the discipline of separating a space and time in our lives to spend time with the Lord.
[5] 2Peter 2:7-8
[6] Genesis 6:9,13-22
Susana serves with her husband and children in the Muslim world.