In 1 Chronicles, David admonishes Solomon, “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought” (28:9).

To serve the Lord “with a whole heart and a willing mind” is to refuse to be preoccupied by other things, big or small. What is it that preoccupies you? What vies for your attention the moment you turn to God in prayer?

We all know what it feels like to try to converse with someone who’s preoccupied with the latest technological toy. Perhaps we’ve even refused to talk to someone because he refused to put away his iPad. Few relationships have been destroyed because of a phone, yet the feeling that results from being ignored in favor of a four-ounce device is that of being “less than.”

Yet we’re often preoccupied when God desires our attention. Even those things we regard as especially important, such as career or family, should never compete with our attention to God.

Today, do whatever it takes to rid yourself of preoccupation. Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley and their many siblings, put her apron over her head to signal that she was praying and didn’t want to be disturbed. If it takes buying an apron, buy one — but most likely, in our hi-tech world, it will only require hitting the power button.