Always Before Me

A while back, I wrote about Paul’s famous challenge in 1 Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.” I remember puzzling over those words growing up: what exactly does he want us to do? What does that look like? How do you do it? None of us should be confused about this today, though—because we use our phones “without ceasing.” That’s not some unrealistic, unattainable spiritual height. “Without ceasing” is just a habit you gradually get into.

I was thinking about that again recently, when I read something John Ortberg says in his forward to the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. Ortberg points out some lines and observations from the book that resonated with him, and he writes,

“The average iPhone user touches his or her phone 2,617 times a day.” By way of contrast, the psalmist said, “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalm 16v8, ESV). What would my life be like if God touched my mind as frequently as I touch my phone?

What would my life be like if God touched my mind as frequently as I touch my phone?

I don’t keep track of how often I pick up my phone, but I do pay attention to the average daily screen time numbers that pop up every Sunday morning. I pat myself on the back when the number goes down; I think about changes I can make when that average trends up.

What I don’t think as much about is how to use my time well once I do peel my eyes off of that screen, what to give my attention to after I put the phone down.

There are plenty of worthy options here: more attention to my family; giving one of my parents a (long overdue) call; little projects around the house or yard; reading a good book.

And, of course, there’s the Psalm 16:8 option: setting the Lord always before me.

What would my life be like if God touched my mind as frequently as I touch my phone—or if I  gave some of my screen time-turned-free time to the Lord?

What about you?

What do you keep 'always before you'?

Any idea how much screen time you get each day? Or how many times you pick up the phone?

What else could you use some of that time for?

How do you normally ‘set the Lord before you’?

Do you do it “always,” without ceasing, constantly, habitually giving your attention back to God in those moments between moments (or even during them), the way we constantly, habitually reach for our phones?

If you, like me, don’t ‘set the Lord always before you’, how can you start practicing and gradually getting yourself into a new habit of giving God more time and attention? What kind of tools, reminders, or role models might help you? Who could you ask to encourage you and hold you accountable to your new goals?

Breaking current habits to form new ones isn’t easy. But, in this case, it may be absolutely vital for your spiritual health, for your connection to Christ, and for your service to the world around you.

So what’s step one?