Have you ever been distracted? Maybe the very strange word in the subject line of this email was distracting enough that you opened this email sooner than you expected.

Simply put, “paraprosexia” is a psychological condition characterized by the inability to pay attention to any one thing. In other words, it is a “state of constant distraction.” Even though “paraprosexia” usually applies to patients suffering from brain injury, I feel like most of my own efforts to pray become something like “prayeraprosexia.” And, based on the research of our culture, I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. Consider the impact of our phones, for example. Recent research indicates that the average phone user touches his or her phone 2,617 time each day. Apple recently stated that its iPhone users unlock their phones 80 times per day, which comes out to about six or seven times every hour. Oh, and research out of UC-Irvine found that every time we are interrupted or distracted, it takes us about 25 minutes to reengage in our original task.

No wonder it can be challenging to pray! Fortunately, Jesus can help us. No, he didn’t have to deal with iPhones. But he did have thousands of people following him around everywhere. This week, we will learn from Luke 5-6 to pray like Jesus when distractions abound.

DOWNLOADS

See It Be It Video Audio Notes (download pdf) Notes (digital) iTunes

SEE IT // BE IT

(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)

Title: Where and When // Scripture: Luke 5:15–16, 6:12–16

ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.

SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes

Last week we saw that the heavens opened when Jesus prayed at the moment of His baptism. This marked Jesus as a person of prayer in his public ministry of teaching, shepherding and healing. Faced with his own distractions, Jesus had a pattern of withdrawing to pray. As his fame grew and the crowds got bigger and pressed in with demand on his time, He sought out a consistent place to pray. He wasn’t simply seeking privacy or down time. He was prioritizing solitude, which Eugene Peterson defines as, “stepping back from the company of others so we can become aware of how to serve them.” He leaned into prayer with a greater capacity because of the habit He’d developed and He came away with an awareness from his Heavenly Father of the twelve men He needed to invest in the most. This was both important and urgent as Jesus saw the need for men who would continue the kingdom work after his departure.

THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Choosing a time (when) and place (where) to pray will open a connection with God and He will help with the what and how.

SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture (What is the story saying?): In this story we see the potential for Jesus to be overwhelmed with requests from people. What sorts of distractions were present for Jesus? How did Jesus respond to the crowds? What choices did Jesus have about where and how He would spend his time? What seemed urgent and important to Jesus?

Mirror (Where am I in the story?): Though fame is likely not a factor in the types of distractions we face, we still have things pressing in for our time. Are there things that cause patterns of distraction in your life? Have you had a season in life when you had a clearly defined time and place for prayer? Have you ever had a need for an “all nighter” of prayer to discern God’s heart for something?

Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): Jesus’ awareness of what the crowds needed was defined by what He discerned from prayer, and He balanced his ministry around those needs rather than getting swamped by the urgent. Are there places where you are on the verge of burnout? What could solitude free you to see?

BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 7 minutes
Consistency doesn’t equate to legalism. We are responding to an invitation for connection with God. This week define and time and place for ten to fifteen minutes of solitude and prayer. Take a few minutes now to think through your schedule to choose your when and where.

Change IN // Prayer Stories 15 minutes
Likely, someone or perhaps several people invested in you spiritually and that is a major factor in you being a follower of Jesus. Take a few minutes to reflect on who those people are and share around the room.

Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 15 minutes
God has given us capacity to influence people that are in our relational network. During your prayer time this week ask God to bring to mind the people in your life who He is leading you to invest in spiritually. Prioritize one or two of those people to spend time with this week trusting that God has a strategy even if you don’t.

CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.