9 Ways God Gets Our Attention

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

Job 33:14 For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.(NLT).

God loves us so much that He communicates with us in everything we do. He knows how weak, frail and limited we are, so He uses every means possible to get our attention, especially when we begin to lose our focus on Him.

Many times, we are so buried in our daily routine that we forget the owner of the time we are spending. We get so caught up in our daily activities that we ignore the voice of God in seemingly little things.

Yes, times are harder than before and we need to struggle more to survive these times; but we should not forget to acknowledge God in all we do.

God always speak to us in every area of our lives but we are just too busy to listen. So many people complain that God doesn’t speak to them, bless them or guide them. They fail to recognize the fact that they are the ones who are actually not listening enough. We run into various avoidable problems because we fail to stay still and listen.

In all these, we are still believers, serving God faithfully and even evangelizing Him to others, but we do not actually cultivate the habit of listening to Him.

While we are busy here and there, trying to meet demands; whether in personal life, family, work or even church, God has a way of making us pause and think, only then would we remember the true reason for our existence.

Some of the ways God gets our attention are:

Read: When God seems silent and distant

1. Through dreams:

Job 33:15 He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.

God speaks through dreams; although not all dreams are from Him. Some dreams which are divinely inspired and lead your thoughts back to God are those in which He is certainly speaking. Some dreams are as a result of our multiple thoughts during the day while some dreams are from the devil himself. To know exactly which is from God, thorough searching of His word and prayers are what are needed.

2. Through unpleasant situations:

God oftentimes tries to get the attention of His children by allowing a sickness or something unpleasant to happen to them. No one likes to be involved in unfavorable circumstances, but when that seems like the only option left for God, after He has exhausted other means, He would use it, as long as it would eventually point you to Him.

3. Through others:

Sometimes, God uses others to draw our attention to Him. In our conversations with others, He may put His exact words in somebody’s mouth that would cause you to stop and think. It could also be your leader in church whom God uses to speak to you.

4. Through His word:

Whether you’re in church listening to the pastor or reading the Bible on your own, He’ll direct you towards a particular part of the scripture that will hold your interest, and that’ll be exactly what He wants you to know at that moment.

5. Through challenges

In difficult times, it is very hard to settle down and hear God. But this is actually the time when God is speaking most, because He doesn’t want us to do something wrong. God may not be addressing the exact problem, but if we observe closely, He is addressing something else that is more important in our lives, which may even be the pathway to tackling the exact problem we are going through.

Read: Why you can't trust God

6. Through interruptions:

Proverbs 19:21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail(NLT).

As we have plans, goals, ambitions, etc, God also has His own timetable for our lives. Sometimes, we are so preoccupied with meeting a deadline that we forget God has a deadline for us too, i.e, the number of years we have in fulfilling God’s purpose. God causes disruptions and interruptions to our ongoing task(s) to bring us back to His plan, especially when what we are doing is not in line with with His plans for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (NLT).

7. Through uneasiness:

God can make us uneasy sometimes, to get our attention. We may not know while we’re feeling that particular way but when we pray and ask God, He’ll surely tell us what is it that we should know.

8. Through disappointments and defeats:

When we become unyielding to God’s instructions, He then permits disappointments and defeat in whatever it is we are doing. We may question and ask why is God not helping us or blessing the work(s) of our hands, but He is actually helping us by preventing us from going the wrong path against that which He has chosen for us.

Read: You become how you spend your time

9. Through delays:

God may decide not to answer some of our prayers, especially when they do not align with His program for our lives at that moment. It’s not as if He will not answer it/them, but it’s just that He would do so when the time is just right. When we are experiencing such delays in answers to our prayers, we should seek to know why, and what God wants us to do instead.

There are many more ways in which God uses to get our attention, try to hear and see God in every thing you do so that you’ll not miss out on His best for you.