Clear Your Schedule
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”- Luke 6:12
Raise your hand if you have tons of free time on your hands? It is tough to even consider that in our busy paced, multi-faceted lives, people are splurging on the precious commodity of TIME. Few people exercise and exhibit such a pace (and peace) that there is time to spare, time for much-needed rest, time to focus on the next thing or invest in more important things. I confess that more times than not, I identify a whole lot more with Martha than Mary. In Luke 10:40-42 we read, “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…Jesus answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.”
This past Saturday during our Pre-Service Prayer Time (you should join us at 4:20 pm) I distinctly heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart. The message was clear and critical to where I find myself and what is ahead: “Leaf, Clear Your Schedule.” This word was delivered as I was readying myself to preach at three weekend services and a coming week’s schedule which includes an evening meeting on every night but one. The Holy Spirit was shifting my focus from ATTENDING to all my calendar demands to ABIDING with and in Christ.
When a person clears their schedule, it communicates that nothing has higher priority and that they will be attentive to respond at any moment. We need to have that same mindset and commitment to our time with God. The bills, meetings, deadlines, activities, and demands of people will always want your full attention. Try stepping away from your full plate called “your life” to receive the richest feast from His hand. What we really need for this pressing reality and mounting responsibilities is time with God to pray, to listen to the Holy Spirit, to rest in His peaceful presence, to receive from His Holy Word. Set aside some of your precious time to be with your God and watch Him answer your daily cares and pressures. Lamentations 3:25-26 tells us, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”