“Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.”
(Mark 6:31, NLT)
(Mark 6:31, NLT)
In a recent perusal of information in a meditation by another pastor, the following information was imparted. In a study of 20, 000 Christians from 139 countries, “more than 4 in 10 Christians say they “often” or “always” rush from task to task.” A further 6 in 10 Christians said that “the busyness of life gets in the way of developing their relationship with God”. You’d think pastors would know better than let busyness damage their faith. I found the opposite was true! Reading further, I discovered that “by profession, pastors were the most likely to say they rush from task to task”, with some 65 percent saying that it damaged their relationship with God in some way (from “The Christian Post”).
What is going on here? It seems that the Christian church and especially its leaders have been caught up in a sinful lifestyle where busyness comes between the faithful one and God. I know it is sinful to be overly busy, because not only did these Christians find that it damaged their relationship with God, but it also goes against many of the things the God’s Word proclaims. Psalm 46:10 demands the faithful to “be still and know that I am God”. Solomon, in Proverbs 23:4, wrote that you should be wise enough to know when to quit chasing after wealth.
Several examples of the life of Jesus show this same view that busyness contradicts godliness. After a long day of teaching large crowds, Matthew 13:36 informs the reader that Jesus “left the crowds outside and went into a house” to be alone with his disciples. After feeding 5000 people in a miracle of multiplying bread and fish, Jesus didn’t hang around to bask in the glory of that amazing feat. Instead, Mark 6:45-46 makes clear that Jesus dismissed the crowds so that he could walk up on a mountain to pray alone. When facing imminent suffering and death, Jesus also retreated with only a few disciples to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane on the last night before his crucifixion.
On a day when Jesus’ ministry was particularly demanding with “so many people coming and going” and not even enough time to eat, Jesus forced the disciples to make a change. In the scripture for today from Mark 6:31, Jesus pulled Himself and His disciples away from the crowds and ministry and busyness to go to “a quiet place and rest a while”. Jesus made a conscious effort to stave off busyness and hold on to quality time with His disciples. I have no doubts Jesus also took time to reconnect with the Heavenly Father, which HE was known to do when retreating to a quiet place.
In a poignant expose on the “Trap of Busyness”, Billy Graham gave the following challenge:
“Do you have days like this one in Jesus’ ministry—days when you have so many demands on you that you don’t see how you’ll ever get everything done? Why, in the midst of such a busy day, did Jesus insist His disciples leave the crowds to rest and be alone with Him? He knew that the busier they were, the more they needed to make time to rest and be alone with Him. If they didn’t, eventually they would hurt both themselves and those they were seeking to help. The same is true of us. God knows the demands and responsibilities you face—at home, on the job, even in your church. But God also knows you need His wisdom to keep those things in perspective, and you need His strength to get them done rightly. Begin each day with a brief prayer, committing the day to Him and asking Him to guide you. Then set aside time—even just a few minutes at first—to be alone with God in His Word and in prayer. If Jesus found it important, shouldn’t you?” (p. 50, Wisdom for Each Day).
A young woman from England named Elisabeth Allen took a moment to collect her thoughts. Her life had been overly busy as of late. She hardly had time to get everything done. Struggling with her crazy lifestyle, this young Christian woman wrote the following words in a blog, “Has anyone else noticed that busyness is right up there with godliness and cleanliness these days? It’s as if busyness is a virtue. A mark of spiritual maturity. Ask people how they are, and they roll their eyes and sigh, “I’m fine, but busy.” Now, to be honest, I must admit that I do this too. A lot. Because, well, I’m busy.” (kindredgrace.com)
After revealing this to her readers, she found three reasons why people are too busy. 1) They succumb to peer pressure. If others are busy, it must be important to be busy too. Not being busy means you are lazy, right? 2) People are proud of being busy. Professionals are busy, so I being professional means being busy. 3) I’d rather be busy than miserable. Sometimes people use busyness to help them not think of how miserable they are, so they don’t think of past mistakes or regrets or grief.
If you read between the lines of what Elisabeth wrote, you might pick up on the fact that many people use busyness to mask their insecurities. They use busyness to help others think they are professional, look important, or to keep from dealing with uncomfortable emotions. It takes a strong, godly individual to face their own inadequacies, fears, and insecurities. That’s why Jesus had no problem retreating from busyness to spend time with God and those He loved.
At this time in your life, do you need to step away from the busyness of the world and retreat to a place where you can spend “alone time” with God Almighty? Is your prayer time rushed and infrequent? Do you feel anxiety when alone with God? Don’t let the trap of busyness pull you from godly peace and joyful reflection. God wants you grounded in His strength, not harried from a worldly “go…go… go” pace.
What is going on here? It seems that the Christian church and especially its leaders have been caught up in a sinful lifestyle where busyness comes between the faithful one and God. I know it is sinful to be overly busy, because not only did these Christians find that it damaged their relationship with God, but it also goes against many of the things the God’s Word proclaims. Psalm 46:10 demands the faithful to “be still and know that I am God”. Solomon, in Proverbs 23:4, wrote that you should be wise enough to know when to quit chasing after wealth.
Several examples of the life of Jesus show this same view that busyness contradicts godliness. After a long day of teaching large crowds, Matthew 13:36 informs the reader that Jesus “left the crowds outside and went into a house” to be alone with his disciples. After feeding 5000 people in a miracle of multiplying bread and fish, Jesus didn’t hang around to bask in the glory of that amazing feat. Instead, Mark 6:45-46 makes clear that Jesus dismissed the crowds so that he could walk up on a mountain to pray alone. When facing imminent suffering and death, Jesus also retreated with only a few disciples to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane on the last night before his crucifixion.
On a day when Jesus’ ministry was particularly demanding with “so many people coming and going” and not even enough time to eat, Jesus forced the disciples to make a change. In the scripture for today from Mark 6:31, Jesus pulled Himself and His disciples away from the crowds and ministry and busyness to go to “a quiet place and rest a while”. Jesus made a conscious effort to stave off busyness and hold on to quality time with His disciples. I have no doubts Jesus also took time to reconnect with the Heavenly Father, which HE was known to do when retreating to a quiet place.
In a poignant expose on the “Trap of Busyness”, Billy Graham gave the following challenge:
“Do you have days like this one in Jesus’ ministry—days when you have so many demands on you that you don’t see how you’ll ever get everything done? Why, in the midst of such a busy day, did Jesus insist His disciples leave the crowds to rest and be alone with Him? He knew that the busier they were, the more they needed to make time to rest and be alone with Him. If they didn’t, eventually they would hurt both themselves and those they were seeking to help. The same is true of us. God knows the demands and responsibilities you face—at home, on the job, even in your church. But God also knows you need His wisdom to keep those things in perspective, and you need His strength to get them done rightly. Begin each day with a brief prayer, committing the day to Him and asking Him to guide you. Then set aside time—even just a few minutes at first—to be alone with God in His Word and in prayer. If Jesus found it important, shouldn’t you?” (p. 50, Wisdom for Each Day).
A young woman from England named Elisabeth Allen took a moment to collect her thoughts. Her life had been overly busy as of late. She hardly had time to get everything done. Struggling with her crazy lifestyle, this young Christian woman wrote the following words in a blog, “Has anyone else noticed that busyness is right up there with godliness and cleanliness these days? It’s as if busyness is a virtue. A mark of spiritual maturity. Ask people how they are, and they roll their eyes and sigh, “I’m fine, but busy.” Now, to be honest, I must admit that I do this too. A lot. Because, well, I’m busy.” (kindredgrace.com)
After revealing this to her readers, she found three reasons why people are too busy. 1) They succumb to peer pressure. If others are busy, it must be important to be busy too. Not being busy means you are lazy, right? 2) People are proud of being busy. Professionals are busy, so I being professional means being busy. 3) I’d rather be busy than miserable. Sometimes people use busyness to help them not think of how miserable they are, so they don’t think of past mistakes or regrets or grief.
If you read between the lines of what Elisabeth wrote, you might pick up on the fact that many people use busyness to mask their insecurities. They use busyness to help others think they are professional, look important, or to keep from dealing with uncomfortable emotions. It takes a strong, godly individual to face their own inadequacies, fears, and insecurities. That’s why Jesus had no problem retreating from busyness to spend time with God and those He loved.
At this time in your life, do you need to step away from the busyness of the world and retreat to a place where you can spend “alone time” with God Almighty? Is your prayer time rushed and infrequent? Do you feel anxiety when alone with God? Don’t let the trap of busyness pull you from godly peace and joyful reflection. God wants you grounded in His strength, not harried from a worldly “go…go… go” pace.