Taking time to be attentive

From the revival and reformation series.

Nancy Costa is the Planned Giving and Trust Services officer for It Is Written and resides in Laurel, Maryland, United States.

“Don’t forget the cord, or you’ll be in trouble.” I recalled my husband’s words as I wound the Mac laptop cord and put it in my travel bag. Overseas where I was going, there would be no way to replace it, and without the cord, the battery would be dead in a couple of hours.

I finished packing and went to bed, anticipating an early flight. The following morning I rushed around with last-minute details and was finally ready to leave. My bags stood by the front door, and everything was in order. With one hand on the door handle, I bowed my head for a quick prayer, and that is when a verse I had read that morning, during my Revived by His Word devotional, came to mind: “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Ps. 95:6, NIV).

It occurred to me that I should kneel to pray. For once I was on time and had a few minutes. God could still hear me if I were standing up, but I believed from inspired counsel that whenever possible, I should kneel to pray.

So, I went back to the bedroom and knelt by my bed and had an unhurried conversation with God. My rush was gone, and when I finished, I quietly opened my eyes. It took a few moments to realize what I was seeing on the far wall, still plugged into the socket—the computer power cord! That is when I remembered I had taken it out that morning to send a quick last-minute email. If I had not knelt to spend a few moments with God, I would have left it behind. Taking time to be attentive to God can result in unexpected blessings. —

Nancy Costa is the Planned Giving and Trust Services officer for It Is Written and resides in Laurel, Maryland, United States.


Ministry reserves the right to approve, disapprove, and delete comments at our discretion and will not be able to respond to inquiries about these comments. Please ensure that your words are respectful, courteous, and relevant.

comments powered by Disqus

Nancy Costa is the Planned Giving and Trust Services officer for It Is Written and resides in Laurel, Maryland, United States.

May 2015

Download PDF
Ministry Cover

More Articles In This Issue

Clinical depression or “life sorrows”? Distinguishing between grief and depression in pastoral care 1

How does the pastoral counselor distinguish ordinary grief from clinical depression?

Feeding Five or Five Thousand 1

The author looks at Jesus as a “splendid communicator.”

Adventist theology and the new anthropology: Challenges and opportunities

What does the process of dehellenization do to theology and how does it relate to Adventist theology?

“Holy” gossiping: Reflections on how the psalms view the misuse of the tongue

Raising awareness about the misuse of the tongue and seeking to prevent and solve its terrible consequences becomes an imperative for every person who serves the God of peace and truth.

Revive in Us Your Work

From our continuing revival and reformation series.

Balancing a Busy Life

Listed in this article are seven tips to help facilitate the pastoral process of finding balance.

The way of a Christian leader

Learn about various aspects of leadership in light of Jesus’ downward mobility.

Dwindling Evidence for the Moderate Use of Alcohol

From the monthly pastor and health feature.

View All Issue Contents

Digital delivery

If you're a print subscriber, we'll complement your print copy of Ministry with an electronic version.

Sign up

Recent issues

See All