Prioritising God in the Busyness

Good morning. So I'm going to start with two prophetic

words that I believe the Lord's given me. I don't

know if these are for people in the room, those

watching online or listening to the podcast afterwards. But this

is the first one. I saw a picture of a castle.

And I believe the Lord is saying to you, you've

worked hard and created a physically comfortable life, but it's empty.

the way to fill it with meaning is to invite

me to share it with you. You know about me,

but you've never known me. I'm saying, let's start this

journey together. I already know you inside out, like it

says in Psalm 139. I'm just going to read the

relevant verses from the Amplified Bible, which expands and clarifies

the meaning of the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic words.

So Psalm 139, verses 1 to 2, and then 13

Psalms 139:1–2

and 16. Oh Lord, you have searched me thoroughly, unknown me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up.

My entire life, everything I do. You understand my thoughts

from afar. For you formed my innermost parts. You knit

me together in my mother's womb. In your book were

all written the days that were appointed for me, when

as yet there was not one of them. I believe

the Lord is saying, before your first day, I knew

what you would do well, and I knew the mistakes

that you'd make. And I provided for that when I

Jesus died for you on the cross. I died in

your place to take the punishment for your sins. When

I rose again, I defeated death, spiritual death, so physical

death is not something to be feared. You will experience

physical death at some point, but if you invite me

to live in your heart, if you surrender your life

to me, I will give you the meaning in your

life that you're seeking, and afterwards, you'll live eternally with me.

I'm going to leave you with this verse in John 15,

John 15:4

verse 4. That's John 15, verse 4, and I'm reading

John 15:4

from the classic Amplified Bible. Dwell in me, and I

will dwell in you. Live in me, and I will

live in you. So the second prophetic word that Lord

gave me is for someone who's feeling quite lost I

believe the Lord is saying that your next steps in

some respects are obvious, but you're feeling lost in yourself

in terms of who you are, where you belong and

how to understand life in the bigger picture. What should

your life look like and how do you get there?

I believe the Lord is saying one step at a time.

There is absolutely a time for thinking ahead and planning

for your future and But this isn't it. You have

enough on your plate right now. You've already stepped out

of the boat, so to speak, in terms of your

life right now. Stepping out of the boat refers to

an incident recorded in the book of Matthew, chapter 14.

Matthew 14 · chapter mention

And I'm just going to set the scene before I

read from it. Jesus has directed his disciples to get

into the boat and go ahead of him to the

other side of the Sea of Galilee. And he goes

alone up a mountain to pray. The boat is now

some distance from the land, tossed and battered by the

waves because there's a strong wind. Sometime between three and

six in the morning, Jesus comes walking on the water.

And unsurprisingly, the disciples are terrified. And they cry out

in fear. Matthew 14, verses 27 to 32. That's Matthew 14,

Matthew 14:27–32

27 to 32. But Jesus immediately said to them, take courage.

It is I. Don't be afraid. Lord, if it's you,

Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Come. Come.

he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat,

walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when

he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink,

cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately, Jesus reached out his

hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said.

Why did you doubt? And when they climbed into the boat,

the wind died down. To reiterate, I believe the Lord

is saying to whoever this word is for, you've already

stepped out of the boat, so to speak, in terms

of your life right now. And it wasn't plain sailing

even before then, excuse the pun. Life was challenging before anyway,

and now you're well outside your comfort zone with little

that's familiar or that feels stable to hold on to.

But it was right to step out of the boat anyway,

away from the relative safety of what was familiar. So

don't doubt that you're doing the right thing. I'm saying

to you, come. Keep your eyes fixed on me and

not on everything that's causing the storm. I won't let

you drown. Just concentrate on the next step. So moving

on to today's message. The title the Lord gave me

is Prioritizing God in the Busyness. Our new theme this

month is a bumper crop. And we're looking at prioritizing

God in the busyness. Harvest time is a busy time.

Whenever I start musing about how at home I feel

in the countryside, Simon is quick to remind me of

my urban roots. But even I know that harvest time

is a busy time. Then, of course, there's the post-harvest

processing of the crop. Whilst I know we have at

least one person here from a farming background, seasons of

real busyness are something I'm sure we've all had and

are going through. And I believe the Lord wants us

to consider how we keep the main thing the main

thing when there are a lot of distractions and or

demands on our time, our energy, and our focus. I'm

actually going to start by looking briefly at the nature

of our busyness. On the one hand, we need to

remember that God will not ask us to take on

every challenge and problem that we come across. It would

be overwhelming. As some of you have heard me say

more than once, there is only one saviour of the world, Jesus.

and he's not going to nominate you or I to

take over the job. So the first point to consider

is if your agenda is too big for today, how

much is actually for today? If your agenda is too

big for today, how much is actually for today? It's

important for us to look at our to-do list, be

it a physical one or one we hold in our heads,

and figure out with the Lord what it's actually ours

to do today, if it's ours to do at all.

It's worth noting in the model of prayer that Jesus

gave us in Matthew 6, it says in verse 11,

give us this day our daily bread. The Lord will

enable us, strengthen us, and provide for us to do

each day what is ours to do. but not what

is not ours to do or what can be left

or needs to be left for another day. I remember

once in my previous job in social work, I needed

to call a particular lady to tell her why we

couldn't provide something that she'd asked for. And she could

be tricky. I'd built a relationship with her, but she

could be tricky. Anyway, all I can say is that

I felt a check in my spirit. something within me

prompting me not to do it that day, which was

a Friday, but to leave it till the Monday. I

was busy anyway. It wasn't going to change anything. So

that's what I did. When I spoke to the lady

on the Monday and delivered the message, she said, unprompted,

it's a good job you didn't call me on Friday

or I'd have bitten your head off. I don't recall

why she said that. It was nothing to do with me.

But I remember being grateful to the Holy Spirit that

I still had my head attached to my body. God

is interested in the details of our lives. He wants

us to do life in and with him. That's the

invitation and privilege of a life surrendered to the Lord.

It's not just a ticket to heaven and eternal life,

however amazing and significant that is. So if your agenda

is too big for today, how much is actually for today?

God will provide us with the bread, what we need

for today. if we ask him for it by faith.

This next statement may sound like a contradiction to this,

but it isn't. God usually asks us to do what

is impossible so that we will rely on him. He

can accomplish so much more in and through us this way.

So if our agenda for the day seems impossible, first

we need to check with the Lord if it's all

ours to do, And whatever is ours to do, is

it all for that day? Whatever is ours to do

may still look impossible. And that's where prayer comes in.

God is the God of the impossible. Like it says,

for example, in Luke 1.37, Luke 1.37, for with God,

nothing is impossible. With God, nothing will be impossible. This

verse says it explicitly, but the truth of it is

made clear throughout the Bible. For example, I wanted to

prepare in advance for today, partly because it's my nature

not to do things last minute, if I can help it.

So I sat down on Bank Holiday Monday to prepare

and heard absolutely nothing from the Lord. Theoretically, I might

have been able to do at least something in the week,

but something else came up which was important, so I couldn't.

So by Friday, I had the theme which our pastor, Dave,

gives well in advance, but no idea where I was

going with it. And because of other things I had

to do, I didn't manage to sit down till Friday afternoon. Finally,

I made a start. In other words, the Lord gave

me those two prophetic words, but I still had no

clear idea of what the message was going to be.

I'm so grateful for praying friends and also for Simon's encouragement.

As he put it in his own unique way, God

parted the Red Sea. How difficult do you think it

is for God to give you a sermon? Good point.

It helped me to relax as I was out of

my comfort zone, which I have to say isn't the

first time This may not seem like a big thing

to some people, but I take my responsibility to preach seriously.

It also illustrates the Lord's interest and involvement in what

he's called us to do, whether it's something that we

or others would consider big or small. Philippians 4.13 is

a well-known verse that thankfully we can apply to many

different situations. I can do all things seriously. through Christ

who strengthens me. There's an Ethiopian proverb quoted in a

brilliant biography of Rhys Howells, a Welsh intercessor that Tanette

mentioned a few weeks ago. It says, the man who

has only God to look to can do all things

and never fail. It's good, isn't it? The man who

has only God to look to can do all things

and never fail. I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me. The apostle Paul wrote this whilst he

was in prison, and the context is about learning to

be content, whether rich or poor, hungry or full, but

basically being able to handle comfort and hardship through the

anointing of Christ which strengthens us. The Message Bible is

a paraphrase of the original text's written with the intention

of making the word of God easier to understand. In

my opinion, the message is helpful here. Whatever I have,

wherever I am, I can make it through anything in

the one who makes me who I am. It's good,

isn't it? Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can

make it through anything in the one who makes me

who I am. Paul had learned to be content regardless

of circumstances, which is a good lesson to learn. Perhaps

we turn more instinctively to God in trials. We more

naturally cry out to God in those times. And that's

the right thing to do, of course. We can only

think one thought at a time. And if we choose

to think on this verse, or one like it, or

whatever the Holy Spirit directs us to, It'll help us

to stay focused on the truth, on God's perspective, and

not on how we feel or our own viewpoint or limitations.

I realize it's more difficult in busy times, but we

all still, for example, need to make a drink, shower, etc.

So any time when we have the mental space to think,

we can choose what we think about. And focusing on

a verse, praying, Praising God, these are ways in which

we can prioritize God in busy times. Like the Apostle

Paul said in verse 12, which isn't on the screen,

I know what it is to be in need and

what it is to have plenty. I can do all

things through Christ who strengthens me. We also need to

learn to handle life in a godly way and not

lose sight of our need for God when things are

going well. whether they're hectic or not, which brings me

to my next point. We still need to prioritize God

when we're busy and happy. Busyness may utilize our time

and energy in a way that we enjoy, but we

still need God. We still need to stay grounded, to

anchor ourselves on the truth of the word of God

and the truth that we always need him. regardless of

physical and material comfort, because life is so much more

than that. I'm currently reading and loving John Lennox's autobiography,

My Story. John Lennox is, amongst other things, Emeritus Professor

of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, which means he's retired,

but still keeps his title as a mark of respect

and distinction. He's lectured on religion and science at many

prestigious institutions around the world, has written lots of books, etc.

In his autobiography, he mentions a friend, an insurance executive,

who organized dinners in the city in London so John

could interact with other insurance executives and give a Christian

perspective on their various questions, as they were mostly highly

skeptical non-churchgoers. He says, these dinners worked really well. On

one occasion, I found myself seated beside a very senior

executive who asked me very bluntly, with liberal use of expletives,

what on earth is going on? I was intrigued. What

do you mean? Well, he replied, I look around this

room and I see here almost everybody who is anybody

in insurance in the city. what's the big draw? I said,

I think you'll find that people here have real questions.

Many have reached the top of their profession. They have

all the toys and they now wonder whether that's all

there is because they find they're empty. They're looking for

deeper meaning in life and are interested in hearing what

Christianity has to say in answer to their questions. He

listened and and even returned on a later occasion. To me,

this is an example of why we need the Lord,

why we need Christ to strengthen us regardless of our circumstances,

even when they're positive or appear to be. It's so

we learn to keep the main thing, the main thing,

to prioritize God, however busy we are or not, however

much we're enjoying life, busy or not. To reiterate my

original point, God often asks us to do what is

impossible to us so that we will rely on him.

Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me. This verse is something we can hang our

hat on, so to speak, that we can hold on

to in the midst of busyness when facing what looks impossible.

And thank God by faith before we see what we're

believing for. As it says in Hebrews 11.1, now faith

is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of

things not seen. The Amplified Version defines faith this way,

faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the

physical senses. So Philippians, 4 13 let's say it together

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

it's good to speak the truth to ourselves it's important

to speak the truth to ourselves and this is eternally

true Because God's word is eternal. As it says, for example,

in Isaiah 40 verse 8, the grass withers, the flower fades,

Isaiah 40:8

but the word of our God stands forever. So to

summarize this part, if your agenda is too big for today,

how much is actually for today? God usually asks us

to do what's impossible, so we'll rely on him. We

still need to prioritize God when we're busy and enjoying it.

And Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through Christ

who strengthens me. So my next point, how do we

prioritize God in the busyness? Jesus is our example, our

role model in all aspects of life. Whilst he was, is,

and always will be God, he chose to limit himself

to living as a man, as it says in Philippians 2,

Philippians 2:6–7

verses 6 to 7, for example. He did this for

a number of reasons, including so that we would have

a role model to follow. Luke 5, verse 16. So

Luke 5:16

Luke 5, verse 16 says, Jesus often withdrew to lonely

Luke 5:16

places and prayed. I believe this is a key starting

point to prioritizing God. Notice it says often, not always.

In fact, the word often was inserted in a number

of translations to make explicit what was inferred, that Jesus

habitually withdrew to lonely places and prayed. I think it's

helpful to think of it as a habit rather than

a legalistic pattern in terms of the time we do

it and how long for. It's helpful to be away

from people to pray and read our Bibles so that

we can focus on the Lord. But depending on our circumstances,

we may physically only get space away from people, for example,

when commuting to work. So it's good to prayerfully think

about how we spend that time. It's obviously good to

pray and read the Bible with other people too, and

I'm not suggesting otherwise. But a personal relationship with the

Lord is fundamental. We can't piggyback off other people's faith,

although we can obviously learn from others, including in a

group situation. So we need to think about what's practical

for us in terms of when we pray. I will add,

it's important that we're neither overly harsh with ourselves, nor

make excuses out of laziness. Hence the need to look

at it prayerfully with the Lord. As I heard one

guy say, If our will isn't surrender to Christ, we'll

use reason to get our own way. Maybe we need

to review our habits in terms of how we use

our time. Maybe we need to review with the Lord

if we have any time robbers in our lives. That's

a term that Simon and I picked up from somewhere,

and I think it's a useful one. It can be

applied in different ways, but broadly speaking, Is there anything

that we spend time doing that is unhelpful, unhealthy, or

maybe fine sometimes, but we need to rethink how often

we do it and or how long for, whatever it

might be. This is simply a prompt for us to

consider wise use of our time so we can make

time for what really matters. And prayer matters too. We

also need to think about what's practical for us in

terms of where we pray. Quality time sitting down with

the Lord away from people and with a Bible works

best for me, but I appreciate that's not always possible

for different reasons. And thankfully, we can pray wherever we are.

Sometimes people like to walk and pray. I also do

that on the way to work. Prayer was never meant

to be for so many minutes, firstly in the morning,

then off we go about our day. We have the

invitation and privilege to interact with God throughout our day.

One of his names is Emmanuel, God with us. There

are different types of prayer and it includes both talking

and listening to God, praising and worshipping him, sharing our

problems with him and letting go of them by faith

to him. Resting silently in his presence is refreshing and

as valid as prayer that involves words. Luke 5, 16,

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Jesus was busy.

The gospel accounts of his life make it clear, but

it still says in John 21, verse 25, Jesus did

John 21:25

many other things as well. If every one of them

was written down, I suppose that even the whole world

would not have room for the books that would be written.

I'm going to make no apologies for quoting from our

pastor Dave Food's book, Forged in Stillness, as it's a

really helpful resource as we look at this. Dave said,

I realize that many of us in leadership, in business, education, ministry,

or family life, live dangerously close to burnout because we've

confused busyness with fruitfulness. We lead from depletion instead of overflow.

The more the world demands immediacy, the more vital it

becomes to cultivate intentional rhythms of stillness. Are there any

changes that we need to make? We're more likely to

stick to changes if we take small steps rather than

making radical changes. And particularly if we're busy, that might

be the most practical way to make lasting changes. On

a different note, I do want to state explicitly that

I'm not suggesting that anything we spend time doing that

is not reading the Bible or praying is not good

use of time. Our activities don't have to be purely spiritual.

To have value. We can make wise use of our time.

For example, resting. Resting is not doing nothing. It's vital self-care.

With a biblical basis, actually. Like it says, for example,

in Psalm 23, verses 2 to 3. Psalm 23, verses

Psalms 23:2–3 Psalms 23:2–3

2 to 3. He, the Lord, makes me lie down

in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He

refreshes my soul. He makes us lie down. Some people

feel guilty when they rest. And I'm saying that guilt

doesn't belong to you. Firstly, Jesus took all our guilt

as well as shame when he died on the cross.

And secondly, Jesus, our shepherd, makes us lie down. So

prioritizing God in our busyness includes rest. It's about prayerfully

considering when and where we pray. What's practical? Because it

won't necessarily be the same each day. And depending on

other commitments, dependents, etc. But let's make sure we do it.

Luke 5.16, Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

If Jesus needed to, and he was clearly a busy man,

we certainly do. Let's pray. Lord, we need you. We

depend on you. We love you because you first loved us.

Please help us to prioritize you in the busyness of

life and include you in all of it. Please teach

us and help us to live life surrendered to you.

Because we ask it in Jesus' name. And we're so

grateful because you've promised to hear us. And we know

that you'll answer us. Thank you, Lord. Amen.