Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.

In his book The Art of Noticing, Rob Walker talks about something called “attention panic.” Attention panic is what we feel when we have so many things, both big and small, vying for our attention that our brains can literally not handle the overstimulation. We can’t focus on anything because there’s too much to focus on at once. Walker writes we sometimes feel like we’ve reached peak distraction, and that’s the moment when we most need the pause and deep breath. He writes, “If we’ve reached peak distraction, then taking the time to pause and pay attention has never been so important. And the good news is that we have the ability to do this…We can learn to direct our attention where we wish to.”¹

Do you ever wonder if it’s possible to direct our attention? To choose what gets our focus and energy? It seems counter-intuitive to suggest we have some control. That we can choose to focus energy and attention on God. We tend to make time for the things that are important to us. And when we are still say, “I’m too busy,” that’s when we most need to breathe deep and refocus.

“Your focus needs more focus,” says Mr. Han in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid.

Psalm 50 reminds me that it is possible to choose to pay attention to God. And when I still struggle to make the time, God still shows up in ways that I can’t help but pay attention. God shows up in stillness when we’re being still. And when there’s a lot of other noise around us, God will find a way to cut through the noise and get our attention. God will find (and does find) ways to center us down into God’s presence again.

God knows how to shine. Do we know how to pay attention?

Perhaps you are in a season where you need to refocus your focus. Maybe you’re in a season where things seem awfully loud and chaotic. Trust that our God, who shows up with devouring fires and mighty tempests announcing the Divine Entrance, will show up and walk with us towards whatever is next. “Our God comes and does not keep silence,” the Psalmist sings in Psalm 50:3.

God always shines in fabulous, obvious ways. God knows how to shine. Do we know how to pay attention? If not, may this be a season where you relearn the art of noticing. May God help your focus have more focus.

¹Walker, Rob, The Art of Noticing. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 2021.