” Be still and Know that I am God:” Psalm 46 :10

Today, from the moment we wake up to the time we fall asleep, we find ourselves in constant motion. We zoom through traffic lights, scurry through school corridors, whirl within office walls, whiz through store aisles and dash back and forth to various activities.

While we are on the run, our marriages are crumbling down, children are screaming for attention, youngsters are shooting for pleasure, and politicians are debating on matters not concerned to us.

What has become of us? Where have we gone wrong? We have neither time nor energy to think about. While the machines do the thinking for us, we are on the run chanting,” We are tired, “ “ We’re busy,” “We are exhausted.”  If we aren’t kept busy, we feel uncomfortable and alienated. So, we get back on the treadmill and run faster and faster until we collapse. Meanwhile everyone from school kids to church leaders are seeking help from counselors for stress related symptoms. Yet, we ignore the distress signals and keep on running.

In our fast pace, we have given no space for God to fit in. Whether we admit it or not, God is the answer to our problems.

“Be Still and Know that I’m God,” says the Lord in Psalms 46.

 Unfortunately, we have forgotten how to stand still and thus knowing the Lord has become almost unthinkable. Stillness belongs to non-living things, we presume and keep on running, mostly running away from God. The enemy who orchestrates this race keeps on cheering as we get farther and farther away from God. By keeping us all busy and tired, he steals those precious moments that could be spent with the Lord.

Unguarded, even the believers get caught in his vicious scheme and dragged along with torrents of activities. When busyness sneaks into church, the intimacy with the Lord no longer takes priority. While performance sings its own glory on the stage, adoration and holiness slumber on the back pews. Head count becomes more important than heart-felt worship. To prove our worthiness, we build magnificent churches, plan great mission trips, organize many church activities and then fall flat before the Lord with no energy to say” I Love You!”

Two millennia years ago, what Jesus told Marth of Bethany, He might be telling us too today.

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled  about many things. But one thing is needed and Mary had chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.”

If Jesus had visited Martha’s house just to eat and relax, He would have complimented Martha for her hospitality.  But from His response, we could presume that He had gone there with some purpose. No doubt, He appreciated Martha’s hard work and good intentions. Yet, He had something more important share with her and Mary during this visit.

Sadly, Martha had no time to find out what the Lord wanted to tell her. Busy and preoccupied, she had indicated to Him that she had more important things to attend than spending time with Him. The crumbs under the table and the spilled stew on the stove drew her attention more than the Guest waiting for her in the living room. While she scrubbed the pans and swept the floor, the Lord longed to offer her the keys to abundant living. Martha, who fell into the cracks of busyness had overlooked the importance of knowing the Lord without even realizing it. Weary and frustrated, she turned against Mary who was seated with a halo of contentment at the Lord’s feet.

Have