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Signposts: Daily Devotions

Written by Renée Miller

Thursday, September 3

Seven times a day do I praise you.
—Psalm 119:164a

It's so easy to get distracted. We set our mind to working on a task, determine a structure and time-line, and then find ourselves missing the deadline because something else comes along that needs our immediate attention.

We might have a plan for washing the car on Saturday, for example. Then, by the time Saturday rolls around, we forget about the car because our child has to go to soccer practice, our spouse has a function we must attend, or our boss asks us to work overtime. It's not that washing the car isn't important, but it seems less important than the other things that feel so insistent.

Our relationship with heaven can be easily forgotten in the run of a day.  There is so much to do, so many conversations to have, so many errands to attend to, so many tasks to complete. Our shy and unassuming soul waits patiently for us to see its desire for connecting with the Holy One. But the distractions keep us from noticing that inner longing. 

Praying seven times a day is not meant to be an onerous and impossible commandment. It is meant to be the soft nudge that will help us stay tethered to what is most important in our lives—our union with the Divine. If we develop the pattern and practice of turning our soul to God throughout the day, we will find that our soul stays full and our heart remains still.

Gracious God, help me turn my heart to you even in the midst of the distractions of life that drown out my soul’s deep longings.