Day 11: Engaging Prayer

BUSYNESS - by Fred Hammer

Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, By Chuck Swindoll
“God’s methods don’t change because we are so noisy and busy. He is longing for your attention, your individual and full attention… He will wait and wait until you finally sit in silence and listen.”

There is business and there is busyness. Sometimes when serving God, we can get the two words mixed up. I believe that when we reach out to God and give Christ full control of our lives, he calls us to take care of the “business” he has equipped and prepared us for. But what usually happens is that we get caught up in the “busyness” of life. We live in a society that never stops. Technology advances give us full access to everyone, all the time. Cell phones have “do not disturb” so that even when we don’t want to be interrupted, we can still chose to engage; Facetime and Zoom applications allows us to video chat from anywhere in the world. With all of life’s distractions, how easy it is for us to get lost in the “busyness” and forget God’s “business.” There have been several seasons in my years of ministry that I have fallen into this trap. I have had the privilege of serving the Lord in full time ministry for almost 23 years and it continues to be an amazing adventure. But throughout the seasons of ministry there have been times that I have found myself overwhelmed with the professional tasks before me that I lose focus on giving God my attention. Sometimes we need to just stop what’s going on and run back to our Father. For me I have found this happens best when I rid myself of the noise and distractions around me. Sometimes it’s sitting on the beach or a park bench with the phone turned off and just looking at the waves or the sky. Other times it’s walking the dog or even sitting out back while dinner is grilling away on the BBQ. What does that look like for you? Find that “thing” that allows you to recharge with the Lord.

Psalm 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.”