How has your Time with God been lately?

This week was an unintentionally slower week for me. It is winter here in Australia and with it comes the cold and flu season. Family has been sick. When something like this happens, I notice that I still try and squeeze in all that I had planned or committed to do. My prayers were for family to get well soon, I did want the sickness to pass, nothing wrong with that, right? But also realised that there was an underlying urgency to get back to routine, get everything done and keep all my commitments. Sounds awful, I know. What would happen if a few days went without doing what I had planned and committed to, catastrophe, right?

I find it hard to lay things down when something unexpected happens. I realised I was approaching God in prayer for my needs that hopefully He will meet in my timeline. I was convicted. I cancelled a couple of things; it helped me lessen my load to accommodate the unexpected this week. This enabled me to approach Him in prayer with my focus not on all that was still waiting to get done but on God who is Supreme, who sees all and knows all. I also took more time to pray for others.

Why do I struggle to lay certain things down?  Am working on that but when I try and squeeze it all in, eventually what happens is my time with God suffers. I have always struggled in this area, especially if it includes commitments to serve in church. It always feels like I have to let go of something important. This week God made me slow down to realise that spending time with Him in an unhurried manner was more important that doing a multitude of things for Him. And that time with Him was not listening to sermons or read about Him in a good book. It was about being one on one with Him- read His word, be quiet, talk to Him, listen and worship Him. Yes, we are to take our requests to Him, but our time with Him should be more about Him than us.

I was reminded that “Doing something for God does not equate to spending time with Him.” Often, serving can feel important enough that we might slacken in time spent with God if we are tired, or if we say yes to more than is good for us in a particular time/season.

In Luke 10:38-42, we read the familiar story of Mary and Martha. Jesus and others, visit Martha’s house and she is distracted with all things in preparation to serve them. While her sister Mary simply sits at His feet and listens. When Martha complains to Jesus, He replies “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

We might have heard this familiar passage countless times but the lessons from the word of God never cease to keep teaching and correcting us. For Martha, what she was doing was important, after all she had to ensure that all who came to her house would have something to eat. The lesson in it is not about forsaking doing things for God, but to not let it be something we place above sitting at His feet. Doing something for God should not take precedence over spending time with Him. God in His grace often helps us reset as we can have a tendency to skew our priorities. I have learnt over the years that these sorts of resets and reminders are so needed.  

God Bless.