Wandering Mind

I've heard that the average person's mind wanders every 17 seconds during prayer--both when praying alone and when praying with others. Surely we all struggle with concentrating. So did Martin Luther. A seminary student (Veit Dietrich) reported that once during dinner, Dr. Luther observed his dog Toelpel, who was watching his master with open mouth and motionless eyes, longing for a treat. Martin said, "Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Besides that, he has no thought, wish, or hope."

It's a picture I can use in my own prayer journey. Keep my eyes on my Master. Realize that what I need can come only from him. And decide just how desperately I need the thing I'm asking for. (Even when praying for friends, or for the poor and needy around the world, or for the billions who still need to know Jesus, I still want to pray with this kind of concentration.

I'm sorry this is late. I tried 4 or 5 times a hour ago, but blogger was stubbornly unresponsive. Thanks for your interest and prayers. I'm still feeling well. Blood test tomorrow. And the doctor's appointment has been changed to Friday morning. We're praying already for God to give him wisdom, whatever the tests might show.

Blessings,
Carol