Concentration is one of the first essential ingredients of every successful prayer. Many believers fail to receive from God results they are looking for because their thoughts and feelings are too scattered.

Some people are praying either for things or for guidance they need, but when an answer comes, they are not in the position to accept it:

- since their minds are occupied with too many ideas, screaming for their attention, they cannot see the difference between the voice of God and other voices;

- even if they know the right direction, they don't have enough will to act upon the guidance which has been given until the end, with courage and persistence.

From the very beginning of our spiritual quest we need to develop the art of mental discipline. Not being able to focus our attention, we will soon discover that the process of prayer makes us tense. Our demonstrations will not be sufficient to meet our needs or fulfill our expectations.

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8, KJV), says the Bible.

Studying success stories of men and women from all walks of life, it is easy to notice that their outstanding achievements were always due to their outstanding ability to concentrate. Not necessarily those people understood the importance of this mighty factor or gave any spiritual significance to it, but it worked wonders for them. Not necessarily they were talented or had uncommon advantages. However, they centered all of their attention and their powers at one single task until it was done, not allowing themselves any distractions. It will serve us well to observe such people, when possible, and implement their techniques in our own way.

Success is never accidental. It awaits those who are mentally prepared to succeed.

From the spiritual perspective, we first need to learn to concentrate on God. The spiritual plane is the casual plane. By being attuned to the spiritual realm, we will prosper in all possible ways - without worries, fights, and unnecessary struggles. This is the meaning of the promise: "Seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

When our attention is focused on God, it is easy to open ourselves to the flow of divine guidance and to act upon it in constructive ways.

Concentration on God is both easy and difficult. It is easy because there is nothing else we need to do - just to think about God. But, at the same time it is difficult, because the tendency of our mind is often to drift aimlessly. For a long time we could struggle with the idea of concentration, inwardly resent it, and try to look for shortcuts to answered prayers, but let us finally grow out of such childish attitudes. For all achieved results, the price has to be paid, and concentration is the greatest part of that price.

As we develop our ability to stay focused on God, we may use helpful suggestions of Emmet Fox:

"Get by yourself, and be quiet for a few moments. This is very important. Do not strain to think rightly or to find the right thoughts, etc., but just be quiet. Remind yourself that the Bible says 'Be still, and know that I am God'.

"Then begin to think about God. Remind yourself of some of the things that you know about Him - that He is present everywhere, that He has all power, that He knows you and loves you and cares for you, and so forth. Read a few verses of the Bible, or a paragraph from any spiritual book that helps you.

"During this stage it is important not to think about your problem, but to give your attention to God. In other words, do not try to solve your problem directly... but rather become interested in thinking of the Nature of God".