Day 20 Distractions

 

1/20/2026

"And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you

to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD

for it; for in its peace you will have peace."

Jeremiah 29:7

 

Have you ever felt as if you're on a continuous roller coaster ride, swaying this way, a sharp turn the other way, until you're so dizzy that you don't know which way is which, and if you try to walk you find yourself turning in circles, confused? This has been my life since early December when my life had a major change. Of course it could have been a super change had it been the very worst, but God in His mercy and grace delivered us from harm. It seems as if the "distractions" are coming from every direction, and yet all around me are people who are going through so many life changes, and the only answer for all of us is to trust God and keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the only one who can keep us and deliver us through the storms of life. He is the only source of peace - God's shalom peace which is perfect and complete. We think we know so much, but the more we think we know, the less we do. But we can trust in God.

In the mornings I make it a daily habit to examine my heart as I begin my quiet time with Abba. So much is happening in our nation and the world that we need to make certain that our hearts are pure before a holy God. It's so easy to pick up an offense, or when we are going through something to judge another's lack of support as a lack of interest or not caring. I have asked myself more than once if I have any friends, but then, I have had the support of two sisters in the Lord, and my sister has visited more in the last month than I've seen her in months before. During the holiday season, however, it was a bit quieter, and I was unable to attend family functions. When I first moved here many things were different, and to say that living with someone with mental health challenges from trauma causing depression and suicidal thoughts is hard is a huge understatement. I have been trained in caring for such cases in my previous career, but not my own child. Finding out things I never knew but should have been told has been a huge eyeopener, and the guilt that follows can be debilitating at times. And it affects my health, and without the proper pastoral support for either of us, well, it makes it really difficult. I have become used to dealing with things on my own, and I've been on the back side of the desert for so many years, that I've learned to lean on Jesus. Focusing on Him, living in His strength, has been my safety in the storms. Still, God wants us to have human interactions and support, and it has been hard to find, except for a few rare people. Perhaps it's the times or the culture, but people are not as close knit as when I was growing up. Or so it seems.

I've found myself watching television more lately just to take a break from disappointing news, and I usually do not waste time looking at television. Sometimes because of the noise in my head from the last head injury, I need to turn on a movie, very low, barely audible, as a distraction so I can sleep. Highway to Heaven or Doc have been my bedtime buddies, both are clean series without sexual innuendos or worse. And when I need to binge, I turn on The Chosen as a reminder of the presence of Jesus. But I never waste precious time caught up in dramas, but because my focus was on escaping my situation, I found myself aimlessly wasting time just sitting there, not really focusing on the story lines, but nonetheless wasting precious time. I'm usually more intentional. Perhaps I've even been experiencing a bit of depression. Even so, I snap out of it easily by putting on Jewish music that sets my feet to dancing! and my heart to praising! After all, it's always a good time to praise the Lord!

The prayer call today pulled me back to my place on the Jerusalem wall as well as the Washington DC watch. As an intercessor I have a commitment to Israel to stand my watch praying with other intercessors across the nation and the world. When we answer a call to serve God, our lives are surrendered to Him. This is the life for me. Right now our eyes are on Iran and the people who are suffering under a dictatorship that spews hatred and violence. The people of Iran, precious Persian people who love Christians and Israel, only want to be free. Prophetically these are signs of bigger things to come, but we will remain firm till the end, engaged and focused on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith and the Commander of the Armies of Heaven! 

When Nehemiah was sent back to Jerusalem to build up the wall of Jerusalem, he met with much opposition from the enemies who did not want the wall rebuilt, but he formulated a plan of action to insure success:

"And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."  (Nehemiah 4:15-18)

God has a plan, and distractions of this world will not hinder the work that He has for us to do. Many times over the years I have heard the same question voiced time after time: "What does God expect me to do?" I always point them to Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"  

When Jeremiah the prophet of God was taken to Babylon with the other captives, God encouraged him and told him to strengthen the Israel captives, telling them to build houses and plant gardens and eat the fruit of the land. He told them to marry and have children, so that they would increase in size and prosper. They were told to seek peace in the cities where they had been taken captive, and to pray and ask God to bless them with peace. He told Jeremiah that they would spend 70 years in Babylon, but after that time, He would visit them and cause them to return to Israel.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me, and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13) 

His words apply to we who follow Him with a pure heart, and who seek Him and desire to live for Him, walking in His ways, applying His word to our lives. He will hear us, and He will deliver us from all the schemes of the devil, all the distractions he sends our ways. Just trust Him, and He will lead us safely home.