Luke 2:48-50 — And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

Wednesday’s devotion focused on the difference between worry and prayer. Worry focuses on our concerns and circumstances. Prayer, at it’s heart, focuses on the Father’s concerns. How do I make sure that my concerns are my Father’s concerns — all the time?
When Jesus taught us to pray He said “pray ‘Thy will be done be done on earth as it is in heaven'”. So how is God’s will done in heaven? It is surely done joyfully, immediately, completely, precisely, perfectly … So we must desire that this is how God’s will should be done on earth. But for today’s thought it is the first part of the clause that is the focus of attention. “Thy will be done”. It is the Father’s business that matters — we must want the things in His will to happen.
Jesus understood this when He was very young. I don’t know whether this was the first time He had clearly defined the focus of His life. Luke tells us that He was twelve years old when these events happened. He was on the threshold of manhood, these are His first recorded words, and we know that from this point forward He was only and ever about His Father’s business. He was driven by this purpose. The first words we hear Him speak are “I must”. Later (John 5:30) He says “I can of mine own self do nothing”. Twenty one years after His first words in the temple, in the garden, we will hear Him say “not my will, but thine”. From start to finish, the Son is unflinchingly focused on the Father.
How can I achieve that same focus? It’s not, I suppose, possible for me to achieve that perfection. But I have a framework. “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” “With man, it is impossible, but with God all things are possible” … and perhaps best of all, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
We have such great promises that we can depend on. And that’s my best chance for making sure that my concerns are my Father’s concerns. Use the book He gave me as my play book. From start to finish Jesus told us where His focus was. For me to maintain my focus I need to listen to Him, and He speaks to me out of the pages of the Bible.