Martha, Martha...

This world is so loud. How can we hear God among the constant flow of voices and constant bustle of activity? Is it any wonder stress and anxiety govern so many lives?

God wants our attention and sometimes if he has to knock us flat on our backs or allow us to fall to get it, He'll do just that.

[How sweet it is to hear his voice and how sweet it is to be in his presence. No other voice or fellowship can compare. Draw me Lord, keep me near.]

The Martha Syndrome: "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'

'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.'"

Sometimes you have to cut the music, hire a babysitter, cut the TV off, stop the texting, turn off the cell phone and get away by yourself...de-bug yourself if you will, so you can hear clearly from God. Scared? Some people are because they don't know what to do with silence. However, you can often hear God better in the quiet. Jesus often left the crowd and his disciples to get off by himself so that he could talk with his Father. If he did, how much more do we need to?

I've often said, one of the primary ploys of the devil is to keep us so busy, so occupied with activity that we don't have time to hear from God or spend time with our Heavenly Father. Everybody, everything else captures our prime time and when we get around to it, we give him our leftovers or our hasty snatches of the morn. We give him so little, but expect so much. We miss our way.

[How sweet it is to hear his voice. How sweet it is to be in his presence. No other voice or fellowship can compare. Draw me Lord, keep me near.]


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6)