The Busy Tool

Once again we feel our dependency upon God to send the thoughts your way that will encourage and strengthen you. A few of you we know personally, many of you we do not know, but we are praying for each one of you. We do not know your need, but God does, and we look to Him to lead and guide each one into all truth.

I am sure many, if not all of you lead very busy lives. Seems like in this age of many conveniences to make our work go faster and easier we would have much more time. But it just doesn’t seem to work that way! Like a little verse that my mother, as a girl, received from her aunt, after she had walked to her house for an item and returned home without it. Aunt Lydia only had one child, but was busy at the moment and couldn’t stop just then and get the object needed. My mother grew tired of waiting and returned home. In a day or so mother received a card in the mail with a verse something like this:

“Every blessed day is busy,
And I’ve more than I can do,
Yet my heart finds time for prayer,
And pleasant thoughts of you.”

You may have asked yourself why is it that life is always so busy? No matter how many time-saving things have been invented, we still have too much to do. Some people are even trying to go back to the old way of no electricity, using the old-fashioned methods again. Do you think they will have more time? I don’t think so. Busyness is just part of this life. The enemy of our soul will use the busyness of life to take our minds off God if we don’t fight against it. This is one of our battles in this world. A minister was once preaching a message on being too busy. He saw a little boy playing and riding his tricycle. He had been watching this child and observed that even children could be so busy that God would have a hard time talking to them.

Oh, may we not be too busy for God to talk to us! What an awful mistake that would be! This is the devil’s business, and we must make up our minds to fight it, if we are to succeed in the Christian life. For the unsaved we find them busy with entertainment in their non-working hours. This keeps their minds occupied so that they have no time to think about their souls and where they are going to spend eternity. The following song comes to mind:

Have you any time for Jesus,
While the fleeting moments roll?
Is this mortal life so busy
That you cannot save you soul?

Have you any time for Jesus?
Can it be, life’s journey through,
That you have no time to serve Him
Who has spent His life for you?

Time for business, time for pleasure,
Time to revel on in sin—
Will you not take time for Jesus?
Oh, invite Him to come in.

If you have no time for Jesus
Ere you pass beyond the blue,
In the resurrection morning
He will have no time for you.

Refrain:

Soon the summons from the portals
Of the mansions in the sky,
May be sounding your departure;
You must then take time to die.*

We have heard it said that discouragement is one of the most used tools in the devil’s workshop. I believe the busy tool is a very well-used one also; as we can plainly see, he uses it on the saint and the sinner alike. Now, let’s take a look at the life of Jesus. The scripture says He was “in all points tempted like as we are.”* (Hebrews 4:15) Did Jesus feel pressed and busy? I am sure He did. Let’s see what He did about it. “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him.”* (Mark 6:31-33) John the Baptist had just been beheaded and the disciples had come to Jesus to tell Him “all things.” What a privilege to tell Jesus “all things.” Jesus felt they needed a rest from the stress and pressures, but now it must be postponed! The people were following them again! Oh, how small our problems look when we see the problems Jesus had! What did Jesus do? Did He tell them to go away? Oh, Lord help us to be more like our Lord and Master. Let’s behold His love: “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.” Mothers, we may get weary in teaching and training our children, but if we don’t do it, our children will bear the neglect, and shame will be ours to shoulder. Pray for more of Jesus’ compassion. As Jesus taught the people the day wore on and it grew late. The disciples suggested to send the people away to buy food for they had nothing to eat. Jesus told them, “Give ye them to eat.” I can just imagine them thinking, “What! Jesus, we are in a desert place; how can we feed them?” It surely looked impossible! Does Jesus seemingly ask the impossible of you? Look to God to perform the needed miracle just as He increased the small lunch of five loaves and two small fishes to feed five thousand. Be encouraged, the Lord can take the little that we give Him and make a lot out of it.

Now Jesus hadn’t forgotten the need to get away and rest. “And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.”* (Mark 6:45-46)

What a privilege to go in prayer to our heavenly Father. If Jesus, our example prayed, how much more we need to escape from the busy cares of life and find heavenly strength. He is just longing and waiting for our communion with Him. Remember in the beginning of time, God came down in the cool of the evening to commune with Adam and Eve. He wants to commune with us too. Take time, take time, take time to pray. Pray until your burden is lifted, your heart is light and free and you have a song. Mothers, it is so important to get up early before the children, if possible, for meditation and prayer. With a tiny baby, this may be impossible. You can read and pray while you nurse that little one. One young mother kept a Testament in the bathroom. An older sister told me she prayed while she did dishes. She said folks will leave you alone there! She also prayed for folks in the congregation in the night when she would awaken and couldn’t sleep. Have you heard about “Praying Mary”? She was a busy servant girl, but one who loved the Lord and found time for prayer.

May the Lord strengthen and encourage you is our prayer.

—E.S.