When Life Gets Busy, Pray Anyway

Reading of the Word

Acts 1:12–14 NASB 2020

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying, that is, Peter, John, James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these were continually devoting themselves with one mind to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Prayer of Illumination

Introduction

Let’s look at the image of a crowded intersection. Cars rush by, honking impatiently, while pedestrians weave through the chaos, heads down, focused on their destinations. Above this urban hustle, imagine a figure calmly standing on a sidewalk, eyes closed in prayer, undisturbed by the noise and motion around them. This visual symbolizes the contrast between the frantic pace of life and the peace found in prioritizing prayer amidst busyness. It invites reflection on how we can cultivate moments of stillness and connection with the divine, even amid life's demands.

Busyness will do its best to take us away from God. But we have to prioritize praying anyway, even if life is nonstop. Prayer must take priority over everything else.

Prayer Before Action

If Jesus came right now and gave you an assignment to do, what would be your first reaction?

Many would go and just do it. But think of who gave the assignment. What would he really want us to do first?

He would want us to seek him for further details by talking to him. He wanted his disciples to do this before they were to be sent-out at Pentecost. He was setting up for them a pattern that they would follow. He knew it was everything to their success in building the Kingdom for Christ and without it, they would fail.

The power for Pentecost was found in the 10 days leading up to this beautiful and amazing day. Prayer intertwines us with the Holy Spirit and he empowers us to be God’s people. Prayer and the Holy Spirit complement one another and allow God’s people to do his work with power and grace as their drive.

“If the Holy Spirit is the divine gift which empowers and guides the church, the corresponding human attitude towards God is prayer. It is as the church prays that it receives the Spirit. So, at the outset Luke emphasizes that the disciples spent the time of waiting for the Spirit in an attitude of continuous and united prayer” (I. Howard Marshall, Acts, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 5 [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980], Logos)

He wanted them to start this now so that as they did their work it would be what gave them the drive to do it.

Prayer is us talking to God and God talking back to us.

Prayer is simply talking to Jesus, like he was right in front of us.

It is a direct line to God that allows us to nurture our relationship with him.

Relationships without an investment of time usually do not end well.

It is how we know Christ and are to be known as his disciple.

We have to know God before we can serve him.

We can’t make disciples unless we are a disciple.

Many say we must always put others before ourselves.

This is one area where we need to be able to put ourselves first.

Your walk with Jesus is the most important thing of this life.

It is the key to serving and loving God in this life.

This key to life will follow us into eternity.

We have to learn to talk and listen well.

Talking is the easy part but listening is the hard part.

It takes patience

We might not like what we hear.

We are afraid that what we hear could change us.

Why is the word change the forbidden word in the church today when God is in the life-changing business? I’ll answer this in a minute.

When much prayer has been put into a change, we should be excited to see what God is doing.

Don’t fear change, embrace it!

Remember that even though things change in life on earth, our God is consistent and never changes.

Prayer gives God permission to move and transform our lives.

God doesn’t want to hear fancy, made up prayers. He wants to know us!

If we are hurting, he wants to know this.

If we are angry, he wants to hear this.

If we are frustrated and don’t understand life, he’s waiting to hear about it.

He isn’t wanting us to pray just to pray. He wants to know us and for us to know him more.

If we feel all hope is gone, God wants to restore the hope.

Prayer should come from who we are. In his 2006 single “Lord Give Me a Sign,” DMX expresses his emotions and struggles to God in a raw, intimate way: “I really need to talk to you Lord. Since the last time we talked, the walk has been hard.” It’s just him talking to God, not trying to impress God but speaking to him as if he were right there.

God wants us to be vulnerable with him.

He wants us to open the door of our lives so that we are there for who we are, nothing more and nothing less.

Warning: Being open with God allows him to take control of our lives.

Losing control is why everyone cannot stand change.

Losing control takes us to the place of the unknown.

Being open with God will deepen our walk with him.

Don’t put the cart before the horse.

Let God lead. Don’t get ahead of him.

Don’t act until you pray. Seek God’s face and ask him to lead you, to reveal his will, to inspire you if it is his will and to give you the strength to go through with the action he has called you to take.

Busyness is not Holiness

We can get busy doing something every day of the week at the church but if everything we do isn’t bathed in prayer, every activity will be powerless and meaningless.

We must go a step further and ask the question if what we are doing is God’s will?

Are we doing things to just be busy or is it a ministry opportunity that will change lives forever?

Is God calling us to do this opportunity? If he is, you will know!

Just because we are busy doing things in his Name, it doesn’t mean we are becoming transformed to become more like Jesus.

Holiness is not a work of man but of God.

Our works alone do not bring us to salvation.

Us putting our faith in works for salvation is us putting faith in ourselves to save ourselves.

Works can show proof of how God has worked in our lives. They are an element that God uses to bear fruit after we place our faith in Jesus and the sacrifice he made at Calvary.

Good works are not holiness. Transformation of the heart is true Biblical Holiness. Being set apart for his special purpose is holiness. Good deeds can never take the place of the gift of God known is holiness.

Don’t Get Caught in the Trap of Busyness

Don’t let life become so busy that you have no time for Jesus and time for everything else.

The devil can use time to draw you away from your relationship with God and others.

It’s this: A trap never looks like a trap to the person it intends to trap.

Example: A mouse trap never looks like a mouse trap to a mouse.

Sadly for the same reason the trap of busyness never looks like a trap to busy people

If we are easily distracted from spending quality time with Jesus we need to question whether we have too much on our plate.

Time is a precious gift. Don’t waste it on temporary pleasures or meaningless things.

We need to learn to say no.

We must be a people devoted to prayer.

The disciples listened intently to Jesus. They went to where they were going to, locked themselves in the room and prayed.

Praying is one the greatest form of obedience to God.

Prayer gives direction and focus.

Prayer is to be done in persistence.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NASB 2020

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

I want us to think of the giants of the faith, especially John Wesley. He rolled out of bed at 4 AM to make sure he communed with God in prayer before anything else happened. Get out of bed early to spend time with God before your day of busyness takes over. Get out of bed and think about it later. I want to read a short excerpt of John Welsey and what he said about prayer.

“God's command to "pray without ceasing" is founded on the necessity we have of his grace to preserve the life of God in the soul, which can no more subsist one moment without it, than the body can without air. Whether we think of; or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than his love, and the desire of pleasing him. All that a Christian does, even in eating and sleeping, is prayer, when it is done in simplicity, according to the order of God, without either adding to or diminishing from it by his own choice. Prayer continues in the desire of the heart, though the understanding be employed on outward things. In souls filled with love, the desire to please God is a continual prayer.”

We must be a committed people.

To prayer.

Individually

We find our example here in Jesus.

He did this time and time again.

The night before his death, the thing that consumed his time was praying.

As a family

Do you have a family altar? If not, you need to.

A family that prays together stays together.

The model of family has been shattered because many have left this practice go to the wayside.

Busyness has taken its place.

Families are consumed with activities.

Activities are good. But when they become a priority over nurturing your family in Christ, it then becomes an idol.

Don’t let busyness steal this from you! I was taught by amazing professors and mentors to make God and family my priorities and that no ministry comes before them.

God’s Word will never return void, even if as adults they try to run away from God.

One good thing came from the pandemic. Families had no choice but to spend time together.

The world stopped its daily routine and it reminded us of the things that are most important in this life.

As a church family.

The top priority and commitment stated in the manual for the job description of the Senior Pastor is to pray.

It should be the same for the church.

As a community of faith.

Our ministerial alliance does an amazing job to make this happen. I’m blessed to be able to be a co-laborer in their work.

We must be a unified people.

This happens through the church praying and the Holy Spirit empowering the church to be unified.

The disciples and others were in one accord because of prayer. It knit them together for what was to come. For many of them, it was giving up their lives for their unwavering faith in Christ.

How did they become committed and unified?

They prayed. And prayed. And prayed.

They did this consistently.

They formed this as the main attitude of their lives.

It wasn’t a burden; it was a joy.

The burden of prayer should be to make sure it happens

To Sum it Up: Busyness can cause us to forget to pray. But God wants us to make prayer the priority before action.

Conclusion

The key word is priority. Where does God come in on your priority list? Are you putting him down the list and depending on yourself?

Do you put other things before him and make them idols? If someone asks you to pray for something, do you stop right then any pray or do you forget it and never pray for it? Our priorities show us where our passion is at. I want my passion to be on Jesus Christ and proclaiming him as Lord. If you want that too, it begins and ends with prayer. Never let your day begin without prayer because if you do, you will become busy or have excuses and it won’t get done.

Prayer Follow Message

Gracious and merciful God,

As we conclude this time together, we are grateful for the opportunity to delve into the depths of prayer amidst the chaos of our busy lives. We thank You for the wisdom and guidance You have imparted to us through this sermon.

Lord, we recognize that in the midst of our busyness, prayer is not just a luxury but a necessity. It is our lifeline, our anchor in the stormy seas of life. Help us to remember to turn to You in every circumstance, whether we are overwhelmed with tasks or burdened with worries.

May Your Spirit remind us that no matter how chaotic life may seem, You are always present, ready to listen, comfort, and guide us. Teach us to pray without ceasing, to seek Your face continually, and to trust in Your unfailing love.

As we go from this place, may the lessons we have learned today take root in our hearts and bear fruit in our lives. May we be a people of prayer, drawing ever closer to You and experiencing the peace that surpasses all understanding.

We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Benediction

May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. May you find strength in prayer, courage in chaos, and hope in the midst of busyness. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now and give you his peace.

Amen.