Too Busy To Pray?

Too Busy to Pray?

The Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42

Have you ever found yourself praying, “Lord, help me to relax about insignificant details” or “Lord, help me to slowdownandnotrushthroughwhatIdo!” as you scan twenty-five e-mails that appeared in your in-box while you were in meetings, pick up a prescription on the way home, hurry through the grocery store, and rustle up something for the family’s dinner before you collapse in front of the television? Our many responsibilities push our tendency to be like Martha, our counterpart in the New Testament, who was busy and distracted doing many things—so many, in fact, that she didn’t have time for Jesus. Like Martha, I’ve often had many things to accomplish: laundry, dishes, cooking, caring for and spending time with our children when they were young, cleaning, juggling a teaching job and helping my husband in his business. Prayer time at Jesus’ feet? How would I manage the time for that?

But what Jesus spoke to Martha, he also meant for you and me: “My dear . . . you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42, italics added). That “one thing” is connecting and spending time with God our Savior. Sharing our longings and dreams with him and listening for his voice. Asking for marching orders so we’ll spend our days doing what he created us for. Gaining the wisdom he gives to those who ask and praying blessings for our loved ones. Ask yourself today: What really matters in time and eternity? Then, like Mary, discover the one thing really worth being concerned about. —CHERI

Jesus, help me not to be so busy and distracted doing so many things that I miss the most important thing—time with you. Give me an eternal perspective, and teach me today what really matters.

We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power. We have a great deal of activity, but we accomplish little; many services but few conversions; much machinery but few results.

—R. A. TORREY (1856–1928), AMERICAN EVANGELIST, PASTOR, EDUCATOR, AND WRITER