Too Busy for God?
Notes
Transcript
Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
There is a quote from the Dutch Catholic priest Henri Nouwen: “People can be so busy that they cannot hear the voice of God through silence.” (Genesee Diary). I would amend that and say “People can be so busy that they cannot hear the voice of God in Scripture.”
But today, we find ourselves so busy. Satan loves to use our busyness to get our eyes off of God or think that we can accomplish more kingdom work without prayer. Human intuition leads us to think we can do more by doing than praying.
Sometimes our busyness is invented. And we are being tempted to forget God on a daily basis. Which only has one outcome- a starved soul.
Related to this, Scottish Baptist Evangelist Oswald Chambers (d. 1917) wrote:
“Starvation of the mind, caused by neglect, is one of the chief sources of exhaustion and weakness in a servant’s life. If you have never used your mind to place yourself before God, begin to do it now. There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved (see Isaiah 45:22).
Your mind is the greatest gift God has given you and it ought to be devoted entirely to Him. You should seek to be “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This will be one of the greatest assets of your faith when a time of trial comes, because then your faith and the Spirit of God will work together. When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with all that happens in nature— the rising and the setting of the sun, the shining of the moon and the stars, and the changing of the seasons. You will begin to see that your thoughts are from God as well, and your mind will no longer be at the mercy of your impulsive thinking, but will always be used in service to God.” (Is Your Mind Stayed on God? | My Utmost For His Highest, accessed 30 January 2024).
People spend on the average 3 to five hours per day on their mobile phone. And it is increasing each year. For as much good as technology does, it can and often distracts us from the simple action of sitting at the Lord’s feet.
Remember that Jesus admonished Martha in Luke 10:41-42
Luke 10:41–42 (ESV)
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Martin Luther said: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”
A.W. Tozer would go before the Lord each morning at the lake at 5:30 and pray for the city of Chicago. We know this, because a new minister came to the city and Tozer invited him to join in the prayer time. And he went and found Tozer prostrate at the shore.
Did you catch that? He actually thought he could accomplish more by praying! Luther also said: “The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes.”
My mentor, who taught me how to pray, said that if he started his day off with prayer, it tended to go much better. If he did not, there was a marked difference. And in 28 years of ministry, I can testify that he was right.
A.W. Tozer said: “[In our fast-paced life] we have no time for contemplation. We have no time to answer God when He calls. Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us. So let us cultivate simplicity.”
So if you are like me, you need some elementary reminders like English Baptist pastor Francis Dixon offers:
1. Have daily, regular times of prayer. They used to say of President George Washington, that he would retire every night at a certain time, regardless of who he was with, and spend an hour in prayer to God. Oma’s Korean Methodist pastor- 5:30 zoom prayer meeting, weekday mornings.
2. Begin each session of prayer by reading a short portion from the Bible. It’s part of the exchange of communication between us and God. John Macarthur said: “If you want to hear the voice of God, read the Bible out loud.”
3. Pray through the problems of the day as they arise. This diminishes the temptation to worry. And keeps us practicing the Presence of God as Brother Laurence taught.
4. Do not be formal in the matter of prayer. Cultivate the habit of talking with God. James 2:23 “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.” My story from getting lost in Athens “Lord Jesus, get me back.”
5. Study all that the Bible has to say on the subject of prayer. Get into the very atmosphere of the prayers of Abraham, of Samuel, of Nehemiah, of Daniel, and of the early Church. Gordon Keddie does this wonderfully in his Prayers of the Bible. Read the advert.
6. Start a prayer list and tabulate for your own guidance some of the people for whom you are going to pray regularly.
7. Keep on keeping on!
God has recently answered two of my prayers in very happy and dramatic ways.
One, was last Saturday before I flew to Florida. We have been undergoing a 6.5 million dollar renovation on our 70-year old stately building. But the biggest problem has not been raising the money, but the interchange with two gentlemen on the renovation committee who have had strong and bully-like personalities. They’ve upset others and made my music director and business manager cry. It has caused me to be angry with them. One of them has threatened to leave the church.
I prayed about meeting with him. Then had breakfast with Roger and it couldn’t have gone better. I learned that he is dealing with cancer and he has resigned from the committee, so no more bully sessions.
I had also been praying for my middle child, Noah, who was laid off from his electrical apprentice job. He needed a full time job to pay his bills so that he would not have to move back home. He also wants to try college. God provided a security job that will pay him more and with benefits and will enable him to take classes through the day.
God is good. James 1:17 tells us:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
John Calvin wrote: “To know that God is the Lord, to know that everything good comes from him, to know that he invites us to ask him for what we need, and yet not to call on him and pray to him, is like knowing of a treasure hidden in the earth and, through indifference, to leave it there, without taking the trouble to dig it up.” (Calvin, Truth for All Time, 88)
And so, let us never be too busy to pray and be in God’s word. It is the fuel for our ministries.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
