Becoming a Noticer
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful...
Colossians 4:2
I’m sure I’ve read this verse hundreds of times over the years; but I always focused on the first half: “Devote yourselves to prayer…” It’s a call to persist, to persevere, to remain steadfast in prayer – something I need to be ongoingly reminded of.
Yet there’s another part of the verse that deserves attention: “…being watchful.” It’s a call to be attentive, to remain alert.
The word is rooted in the practice of individuals stationed on a city wall and keeping watch. These “watchmen” were the first ones to see the danger of attacking armies or the opportunity of approaching traders.
Such watchmen had the best vantage point. They saw things before anyone else did. Indeed, they saw things that no one else did.
Watchmen are no less needed today.
First-Class Noticers
In their best-selling book, Geeks and Geezers, business gurus Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas make an interesting observation about a common denominator among successful leaders. Bennis and Thompson call them “first-class noticers.”
They write, “Being a first-class noticer allows you to recognize talent, identify opportunities, and avoid pitfalls. Leaders who succeed again and again are geniuses at grasping context.”
This is what happens when we pray. It turns us into first-class noticers. The more you pray, the more you notice. Likewise, the less you pray, the less you notice.
Prayer turns us into first-class noticers. The more you pray, the more you notice.
Prayer and Your RAS
Here’s how this works from a neurological perspective. There is a cluster of nerve cells at the base of our brain called the reticular activating system. These nerve cells monitor our environment. We are constantly bombarded by countless stimuli vying for our attention, and it is the job of the RAS to determine what gets noticed and what goes unnoticed.
When you pray for someone or something, it creates a category in your reticular activating system. You start noticing anything related to those individuals or situations.
Have you ever noticed that when you pray, coincidences happen? And when you don’t, they don’t? That’s more than coincidence; it’s providence.
Prayer sanctifies your reticular activating system and enables you to see the God-ordained opportunities that surround what you’re praying about.
Prayer sanctifies your reticular activating system and enables you to see the God-ordained opportunities that surround what you’re praying about.
As you pray for that neighbor, you become a “first-class noticer” of ways you can engage him/her. As you pray for that school, you become a “first-class noticer” of opportunities to make a difference. As you pray for a grieving friend, you become a “first-class noticer” of their needs and how you can lend a helping hand.
Praying allows us to speak to God asking for Him to make an impact. But it also allows God to speak to us regarding ways we can make an impact.
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful...” As you apply the first two parts of this verse, you might well see all kinds of opportunities present themselves. And who knows what that might lead to?
PRAYER
Lord, help me to not only close my eyes in prayer but to open my eyes and keep watch. And then use this combination of intercession and insight to trigger Kingdom breakthroughs.
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