Resist the Drift: How Lent Retrains Our Attention on Jesus

“People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.” — D.A. Carson, For the Love of God

Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We overcome drift by fixing our eyes on .

The Wilderness—

1. Is a from

Luke 4:1 E
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

Distraction is our .

“In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in ‘muchness’ and ‘manyness,’ he will rest satisfied.” –Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

“There are many who live in the mountains and behave as if they were in the town… it is also possible to be a solitary in one’s mind while living in a crowd.” – Syncletica of Alexandria

Question for Reflection:
How can I separate myself from distractions during my everyday life this Lent?

Luke 5:16 NIV
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

The Wilderness—

2. Is a conscious

Colossians 4:2 NIV
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Devotion reveals .

Question for Reflection
What would help train my body, mind, and soul to be devoted and attentive to Jesus this Lent?

The Wilderness—

3. Starts with being

Luke 3:21-22 ESV
When Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Beloved Is Where We Begin

If you would enter into the wilderness,
do not begin without a blessing.
Do not leave without hearing who you are:
Beloved, named by the One who has traveled this path.
Before you, do not go without letting it echo in your ears,
and if you find it is hard to let it into your heart,
do not despair. That is what this journey is for.
I cannot promise this blessing will free you
from danger, from fear, from hunger or thirst,
from the scorching of sun or the fall of the night.
But I can tell you that on this path there will be help.
I can tell you that on this way there will be rest.
I can tell you that you will know the strange graces
that come to our aid only on a road such as this,
that fly to meet us bearing comfort and strength,
that come alongside us for no other cause
than to lean themselves toward our ear
and with their curious insistence
whisper our name: Beloved. Beloved. Beloved.

—Jan Richardson
from Circle of Grace

Answer Key: Jesus; Separation, Distractions; Default; Devotion; attention; beloved