It’s 7:59 a.m. and I already have 32 e-mails and six text messages; my cell phone is ringing; and I have yet to check Facebook. I know I need to sit quietly before the Lord; but I am already tense, on edge and overwhelmed.
Perhaps it will be better tomorrow. I will take time then. The trouble is, it’s never better tomorrow. Quiet time with God never comes.
Leaders Are Lost
A recent study from the Schaeffer Institute contained some troubling statistics:
• 72 percent of those in ministry read their Bibles only for prep work.
• 71 percent feel burned out and depressed on a weekly basis.
• 77 percent say they do not have a good marriage.
• Only 26 percent say they have a regular devotional life and feel adequately fed spiritually.
We are called to be leaders of the Church, but what is the source of our leadership?
Paul Tournier wrote, “Modern people lack silence in their lives; they are driven along by events.” Many of us fit that description all too well. It does not have to be like that. We have a choice!
David wrote in
Finding Time for Silence
How does a person find silence and time with God in a world that is moving at breakneck speed and where technology makes us available 24/7?
When I travel, I watch people talking on their phones until the plane is ready for takeoff; then as soon as the wheels touch the tarmac, out come the phones again. Some airlines now offer Wi-Fi in flight so we can be connected even at 30,000 feet.
Technology is not a bad thing. It has opened amazing doors of communication and ministry. It’s a tool that can have profound impact for the Kingdom; but like all tools, it can be used or misused.
Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, is a must-read for all those in ministry. She tells the story of Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM) in Washington, D.C. During a sabbatical, God convicted him with what he termed “prayer-less striving.” As a result, all who work for IJM arrive by 8:30 a.m.; neither do the doors open nor are computers turned on until 9:00 a.m. The first 30 minutes are spent in silence and prayerful listening.
You Can Make a Choice!
While technology raises new challenges, the issue we are talking about dates back to Jesus. In
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going they did not even have a chance to eat.
That sounds like youth ministry! In fact it sounds like all ministry. Listen to Jesus’ words to those tense, excited, overwhelmed disciples: Come away with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest!
I believe Jesus is still inviting us—calling us—to slow down, rest, listen, be still and pray. You have a choice!
Choose!
The battle is less about the outer world of technology, culture and expectations and more about our own internal boundaries and choices. So stop your prayer-less striving! Shut off your computer. Silence your cell phone. Slow yourself down. Listen. Read. Pray. Choose this day whom you will serve (
