Prioritising listening to the Lord
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
Luke 10:38-40 (NIV)
Occasionally I will let my five-year-old daughter look at something on my phone. She will usually go on YouTube and watch the song Miss Rabbit is Busy. This song features the Peppa Pig character known as Miss Rabbit, who has lots of different things to do, ranging from her many occupations to activities she does to engage with her community. However, she is so busy with all these endeavours that part way through the song we see her feeling ill and resting at home. Ironically, trying to do too much of the things she wants to do is exactly what stops her from being able to do any of the things she wants to do.
Christians can be like this too. We can be so busy ministering, trying to do so many good things, that we can actually harm our chances of being good at any of the things we’re trying to do. Personally, in my attempts to get lots done in my ministry, I regularly have to remind myself of the words of author John Hindley:
‘A man is what he is on his knees before God, and nothing more.’
I’ve used this quote in a Word of Life before, but since I must repeat it to myself so often, chances are you could also benefit from hearing it again. In a well-intentioned attempt to share the love of Jesus with others we can, if we’re not careful, end up spending less time with the very Being we are trying to promote. It’s important that we prioritise time with our Father in prayer, talking to him, but also listening to him, and just spending time in his presence. God is always with us, and we can talk to him as we’re doing anything, but time set aside just to be with him is of great importance. Author Michael Frost claims that if we want to be effective in a missionary sense, developing a habit of regular time listening to God is of vital importance. I don’t want to discourage anyone from ministering to others with the love of Jesus. However, this should always be built on a foundation of regular time alone with God.
Prayer
Father, thank you that you are always there for me, ready to listen, wanting to spend time with me, and always eager to let me know of your direction for my life. Please help me to put time aside to be with you and to listen to you. In the busyness of life, and with all the opportunities to minister to others, please help me to make spending time with you the priority. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Study by Anthony Dady
Anthony Dady is a Minister in Grace Communion International and is the Regional Pastor for Wales, the Midlands, and Northern England.
Local congregation:
GCI Northampton
Ecton Village Hall
78A High Street
Ecton
Northampton
NN6 0QB
Meeting time:
Saturday 10:30am
Local congregational contact:
Gavin Henderson
Email: gavin.henderson@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church