Hidden to whole: Keeping our attention on Jesus

As we reflect on hidden peace this Lent, Abigail Miller (Paisley Citadel) encourages us to slow down and remember that God is present, inviting us to experience his peace.

‘I’m too busy.’ It’s a phrase many of us know far too well. We say it without thinking, almost like a reflex. But if I were to ask you whether you’ve ever used it as a reason for not spending time with Jesus, would you admit that sometimes it’s true?

The irony is that, as I write this, the phrase feels painfully real in my own life. I often catch myself saying ‘I’m busy at the moment’, and on paper it makes sense. I’m in my final year of university. I’m working and caring for a four-year-old. And then there’s the general, relentless busyness of life that never seems to slow down.

But recently I’ve been asking myself a harder question, and it is one I would urge you to also ask yourself: are you too busy, or have your priorities quietly shifted away from Jesus and towards everything else?

Becoming distracted is easily done. We live in a society that glorifies constant productivity and self-optimisation. If you slow down, you’re labelled ‘lazy’. If you rest, you feel guilty for not doing more. There’s a constant pressure to be achieving, improving, producing – and, if we’re not, something in us whispers that we’re falling behind.

What we might not often consider is the spiritual impact of this culture. Distraction isn’t just an inconvenience; it should be viewed as a quiet spiritual threat. It doesn’t usually pull us away from God in dramatic ways. Instead, it works subtly. It splits our attention across hundreds of small urgencies, until we’re no longer aware of the One who is steady, present and unchanging in our lives.

So how can we change the narrative? We still need to go to work, right? We still have things at home that need to be handled. We still need to pick the kids up. We still need to put the dinner on.

Isaiah 26:3 promises: ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.’ 

It’s about aligning our priorities and seeing time with God as part of our ‘musts’ for the day – the same way you would if you had arranged to meet a friend for lunch or had to pick the kids up from somewhere.

It’s about talking to God and making time for him in the same way he does for us. I don’t know about you, but I have never felt God say ‘I’m too busy’ when I’ve spoken to him. So why shouldn’t we give the same in return?

One of my all-time favourite worship songs is ‘The Heart of Worship’ by Matt Redman. When I was going through a challenging period in my life, I remember a friend told me how the song came to be.

The story goes that Matt Redman was attending Soul Survivor Church in Watford. Despite the country’s overall contribution to the worship revival at the time, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical outpouring. Their pastor realised there was a dynamic missing, so he decided to strip everything back. He removed the whole sound system and the band for a season, drawing people to realign their priorities and consider what they were bringing when they walked through the doors on Sunday morning.

It made me wonder what this might look like in a Salvation Army context. If you didn’t have sectional duties, or a tokenistic reason to be at church, would you still come? Or would you feel there was no point?

Well, the heart of it is this: the point is Jesus. He is the reason we gather. I know life gets full and people feel busy, but sometimes it’s worth looking at our priorities and asking where Jesus fits within them. 

I’d encourage you to reflect on whether Jesus is getting space in your day – and, if not, what small, realistic steps might help you make room for him again. It’s time to return to the heart of worship because it’s all about him. So I leave this with you as a final prayer:

Lord, I pray that we will come back to the heart of worship, because it’s all you – it’s all about you, Lord Jesus. I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it, when it should have been all about you. Lord, I’ll bring you more than a song, because a song in itself is not what you require. You search so much deeper within, through the way things appear; you’re looking into our hearts. We’re coming back to the heart of worship, and we will make it all about you, Lord Jesus. Amen.