Grabbing God's Attention
Acts 10:31
"And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God."
There will come a time in everyone's life when you will need God's attention to get a prayer answered. It may be a health issue that you are facing, a serious situation that you are facing in your life, a financial calamity or a family situation. In times like these, it would be good to find out how to grab God's attention so that you can get His help. I find in the Scriptures there are some things that grabs God's attention and if you will do them it will help you in your time of need.
First, praying grabs God's attention. You will notice in the verse above that Cornelius prayed. God says in James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Nothing grabs the attention of God like prayer. Daniel prayed and got God's attention. Elijah prayed and got God's attention. Hezekiah prayed and grabbed God's attention. The publican prayed and got God's attention. You will NEVER grab God's attention without prayer. Prayer is the avenue God uses to give us what we need. If you have a need, then you must go to God in prayer to grab His attention.
Second, giving grabs God's attention. Not only did the prayers of Cornelius grab God's attention, but his giving helped God to remember him. If there is any reason for you to give, it is so that you can grab God's attention when you need it. We are reminded in Luke 21:2-3 that giving grabs God's attention when it says, "And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:" You will notice it was not the amount that grabbed God's attention, but the sacrificial amount that she gave. You don't have to have a lot of money to give to get God's attention, but you must be willing to give sacrificially to grab God's attention.
Third, helping children grabs God's attention. Genesis 21:17 says, "And God heard the voice of the lad;..." This was the cry of Ishmael when Hagar was thrown out of her house. God has a special place in His heart for children. One of the reasons it would be wise to be involved in a church ministry that helps children is so that you can grab God's attention when you need it. When a church is aggressive about reaching children, I believe they will be able to grab God's attention. Likewise, when a Christian will be involved in helping children, they will find that God's ear is more open to their prayers.
Fourth, soul winning grabs God's attention. Psalm 126:5-6 says, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." The heartbeat of God is to reach the lost for Christ. When a Christian is aggressively trying to reach the lost, they will find that God will do His part is helping them in their time of need.
One of the mistakes most people make is to wait till they need God's attention to start doing these things. Christian, don't wait till you need God's attention to start doing these things, but start doing these things before you need His attention. If you have God's attention before you need it, then it will be easier to get from God what you need in your time of need. Find a way to do these things on a daily basis so that you can daily get God's attention.