ONE THING IS NECESSARY
It is an easy truth to understand and a hard one to practice: the more complicated your life gets, the more simple your prayer life should be. I find that as the specific prayer requests begin to mount up in my life -- my friend Randy has cancer, help me do well in my workshop in Atlanta next week, give Amy strength to love these girls in her program who are so violent and so needy -- I try to spend more time just focusing on the "one thing" Jesus speaks of in His encounter with Martha and Mary.
A quick recap of the story, if you don't know it: as Jesus arrives at their house, Martha assumes robo-host mode, making snacks in the kitchen and cleaning like mad; while Mary sits at Jesus' feet and gives Him her undivided attention as she teaches. The men who are His audience are probably expecting Jesus to rebuke Mary and compliment Martha -- after all, this was a society in which it was inappropriate for a female to rub elbows in the company of men and more honorable to do kitchen work -- but instead Jesus does the opposite. "Martha, chill out," says Jesus (in the vernacular). "One thing's needed; Mary's chosen wisely."
I'm much more Martha than Mary. But like I said, as the prayer requests mount, I guess I'm realizing that while it's good to prayerfully consider all 101 things on my heart and mind at the moment, it's more important to prayerfully center myself on God and on being where He is in my life.
I don't mean to discount the importance of making specific and persistent requests to God about specific prayer concerns. The Bible, and my own personal experience, convince me that to pray like that is important. May we not, however, neglect the kind of prayer that simply seeks to be with Jesus. For the power of a prayer-answering God that is at our disposal, I pray specific requests so seldomly and so weakly. And for the pleasure of relationship with a wonderful God that is so available, I pray to be with Him so infrequently and so impassionately. May it not be so.
It is an easy truth to understand and a hard one to practice: the more complicated your life gets, the more simple your prayer life should be. I find that as the specific prayer requests begin to mount up in my life -- my friend Randy has cancer, help me do well in my workshop in Atlanta next week, give Amy strength to love these girls in her program who are so violent and so needy -- I try to spend more time just focusing on the "one thing" Jesus speaks of in His encounter with Martha and Mary.
A quick recap of the story, if you don't know it: as Jesus arrives at their house, Martha assumes robo-host mode, making snacks in the kitchen and cleaning like mad; while Mary sits at Jesus' feet and gives Him her undivided attention as she teaches. The men who are His audience are probably expecting Jesus to rebuke Mary and compliment Martha -- after all, this was a society in which it was inappropriate for a female to rub elbows in the company of men and more honorable to do kitchen work -- but instead Jesus does the opposite. "Martha, chill out," says Jesus (in the vernacular). "One thing's needed; Mary's chosen wisely."
I'm much more Martha than Mary. But like I said, as the prayer requests mount, I guess I'm realizing that while it's good to prayerfully consider all 101 things on my heart and mind at the moment, it's more important to prayerfully center myself on God and on being where He is in my life.
I don't mean to discount the importance of making specific and persistent requests to God about specific prayer concerns. The Bible, and my own personal experience, convince me that to pray like that is important. May we not, however, neglect the kind of prayer that simply seeks to be with Jesus. For the power of a prayer-answering God that is at our disposal, I pray specific requests so seldomly and so weakly. And for the pleasure of relationship with a wonderful God that is so available, I pray to be with Him so infrequently and so impassionately. May it not be so.
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