Break from Busyness and Rediscover the One Thing We Need
How distractions keep us from prayer, and the right focus that deepens our love
This last week or so I’ve felt a frenzy and have not spent adequate time in my prayer closet. Here, we write about praying and teach others to pray more, yet trying to do too many things has too often kept me from doing just that!
So, I’m confessing. Lately it’s been more like Martha, less like Mary.
In the story, found in Luke 10, Martha is busy with serving, while her sister Mary isn’t helping one bit. Martha is ‘distracted’ and Mary ‘sat at the Lord’s feet, and listened to the Lord’s teaching.’
So much to do, right? We must be about the work! In our modern culture we ask someone how it’s going. The standard reply is, “Busy!” We even ask, “Keepin’ busy?” As if busy is somehow a badge of honor.
We compare how busy we are to others; guys even trying to one-up one another with how busy they are, at work, with kids activities, church obligations, etc.
Do, do, do. And do, do, do more.
All this running around...it’s exhausting. All we want really is rest, down-time, me time.
No wonder we aren’t in the prayer closet, let lone the prayer meeting.
I’m just a guilty of it as you are.
Now then Martha complained, “My sister has left me to serve alone. Tell her then to help me.” And what was the Lord’s reply? Jesus says to her that she is distracted and anxious by many things.
Are you:
☑️ Distracted.
☑️ Anxious.
☑️ By many things.
Check all that apply. If we’re honest, it’s all three.
But, says Jesus, “one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen that good portion, which will not be taken from her.”
What is that One Things Jesus refers to?
Sitting at His feet, listening to Him.
One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
This is reading His Word. This is Praying. Spending time in His presence, being with Him, looking at Him, waiting on Him, asking of Him—all these are one thing.
Serving is good, but serving without this one thing is not as good.
What does this one thing do?
Primarily it puts our focus, our attention on Jesus. And then what happens is we begin to love Him more, and more. Usually we spend the most time with the people we love, yes?
When we love the Lord, we want to spend more time with Him. Looking at Him, talking much with Him, getting to know Him better, loving Him more completely and fully than we do any other human.
Because He loves us, and because He is worth our loving Him!
This is what He prayed for, you know. In the prayer recorded for us in John 17, Jesus speaks to the Father of “the love with which you have loved me may be in them [us!] and I in them.”
Did you catch that?
Jesus wants the same love the Father has for Himself to be in us. He wants us to love Him like the Father loves Him!
And we can and we will, by spending time and attention on that one necessary thing: sitting at his feet.
Busyness will distract us. Sitting will focus us, calm our anxious minds, and we will let go of many things.
Get in to the prayer closet. Sit with Jesus. Deepen your love.
This is a message to myself, and our team. And maybe you too?
Until Monday, grace and peace…
Photo by George Stackpole on Unsplash