WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOD DOESN’T HAVE YOUR FULL ATTENTION
There are moments—sometimes entire seasons—when we wake up and realize: God doesn’t have my full attention.
It’s not that we stopped believing, rejected our faith, or walked away from church. It’s just that life has slowly, quietly crowded Him out. Work gets busy. Kids get demanding. Screens get louder. Schedules get fuller. And somewhere in the middle of it all, the time we used to spend with God just... disappears.
We tell ourselves we’ll get back to it. We’ll pray more next week. We’ll read our Bible again when things slow down. We’ll prioritize God when life isn’t so crazy.
But have you noticed--life never slows down.
Meanwhile, something begins to happen: Our heart grows cold.
If you want a real, sincere relationship with Jesus—the kind that sustains you through hard seasons and fills you with joy in the everyday—you can’t settle for “good enough” because, well, it’s just not good enough.
When God Isn’t Your One Thing
There’s a story in the book of Jeremiah that speaks directly to this moment.
God’s people are in exile in Babylon. They’re there because, over time, God stopped being their one thing. Other priorities took over. Other voices got louder. Other loves grew stronger.
Now they’re far from home—and far from God.
They feel stuck. Forgotten. Uncertain about the future. Sound familiar?
God leads the prophet Jeremiah to write them a letter. What God says to them is what He’s saying to many of us today.
The Letter to the Exiles
Here’s what God tells His people through Jeremiah: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters... Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:4-7).
God immediately establishes something important: They are not abandoned or forgotten. God still sees them and wants to speak to them—even in Babylon. Even in exile. Even when they feel far away.
His will for them in this season isn’t complicated: Build houses. Plant gardens. Marry and have children. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city. And don’t listen to the false prophets who are offering quick fixes and false hope. Listen to My voice and reject all others.
Then God makes a promise that changes everything.
The Promise That Changes Everything
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
Most of us know verse 11, “I know the plans I have for you...” We put it on graduation cards and motivational posters. We quote it when we’re uncertain about the future.
But we often miss what comes right after it. The promise is not just about God having good plans; it’s about what happens when we seek Him. God makes three specific promises to those who feel far from Him but are willing to seek Him with all their heart.
Promise #1: “I Will Listen to You”
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:12).
God tells them it’s not too late. He is not distant or indifferent.
This is the first thing we need to hear when we’ve drifted: God is still listening. He hasn’t stopped paying attention. He hasn’t given up on you. He hasn’t moved on to someone more spiritual, more consistent, or more worthy.
Prayer is not a ritual you have to perform correctly to get God’s attention. It’s a relationship with someone who’s already leaning in, waiting to hear from you.
You don’t have to clean up your life first or have all the right words. You just have to show up and talk to Him.
He will listen.
Promise #2: “I Will Be Found by You”
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
God is not playing hide-and-seek. He’s not making it difficult for you to find Him. God wants to be found by you. God promises His presence to wholehearted seekers.
Notice the phrase “with all your heart.” This is not about perfection. It’s about sincerity. It’s about showing up with your full attention, even if just for a few minutes. It’s about wanting Him more than you want all the other things competing for your time and focus.
Promise #3: “I Know the Plans I Have for You”
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
This promise was given to people who felt stuck and hopeless. Uncertain about the future. Wondering if their best days were behind them. And God says: I know what’s ahead. I have good plans for you.
Seeking God aligns you with a future you don’t yet see but He already knows.
When you make God your one thing again, when you seek Him first, everything else begins to fall into place. Not because your circumstances magically change, but because you’re finally aligned with the One who holds your future. Jesus said it this way: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
Your Father knows what you need. Seek Him first. Everything else will follow.
What Happened to the Exiles?
What happened to the people in Jeremiah 29?
They were eventually brought home to Jerusalem, just as God said. They sought Him once again. They repented of their sin. They came back to prayer. And God met them.
Just like He offers to meet us.
The path back isn’t complicated. It’s not about earning your way into God’s good graces or performing enough spiritual disciplines to prove you’re serious. It’s simply about seeking God with all your heart.
What Seeking Actually Looks Like
What does it mean to seek God with all your heart?
It doesn’t mean you have to pray for hours every day or read the entire Bible in a month. It means you intentionally create space to be with Him.
It means turning off your phone for ten minutes and talking to God instead of scrolling. It means opening your Bible before you open Instagram. Asking Him for wisdom before you make that decision. Thanking Him for the good things instead of just asking for more. Recognizing that you need Him—not just His blessings, not just His plans, but Him.
Seeking God looks like making Him your first thought instead of your last resort. It looks like prioritizing prayer over productivity. Like choosing His voice over all the other voices competing for your attention.
And here’s what happens when you do: You find Him. He listens to you. He reveals His plans. He gives you hope and a future. Not because you earned it, but because that’s who He is and what He promises to those who seek Him.
The Invitation
If you’ve drifted, if God doesn’t have your full attention, if your faith has become thinner and your heart has grown cold—it’s not too late. God is still there. He’s still listening. He still has plans for you. He still wants to be found by you.
All He’s asking is that you seek Him. With all your heart. Not perfectly. Not flawlessly. Just sincerely.
Stop waiting for life to slow down or to feel more spiritual or for the perfect circumstances.
Just start seeking. Show up. Open your Bible. Pray. Be honest with Him about where you are and what you need. Give Him your full attention, even if just for a few minutes each day.
And watch what happens.
Take Action
This week: Commit to seeking God with your full attention for seven days.
Set aside intentional time each day to be with Jesus—even if it’s just fifteen minutes. Turn off your phone. Close your laptop. Remove the distractions. Then pray, read Scripture, and simply be present with Him.
Before you start each day, pray: “God, I’m seeking You with all my heart. Help me to find You. Speak to me. Show me Your plans.”
At the end of the week, reflect on what happened. Did you sense His presence? Did He speak to you? Did anything shift in your heart?
Remember: God doesn’t have to be distant. Your faith doesn’t have to be thin. Your heart doesn’t have to be cold. Seek Him first, and everything else will fall into place.
All for Jesus,
Brad D. Jenkins
P.S. — If this has been helpful, please send me a message at brad@bradjenkins.me and let me know. My writing aims to help people enjoy a vibrant relationship with Jesus, and it is an honor to be on this journey with you. To read previous newsletters or to sign up so that you don’t miss future posts, visit www.bradjenkins.me/blog.