“But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.’”
Luke 10:41-42
One morning in 2018, I got up to spend some alone time with Jesus. I was at a fairly empty resort and found a big table in the cafeteria to sit at. However, rather than sitting alone, I pulled up a chair next to me and asked Jesus to teach me something. I was immediately inspired to read Psalm 23. Most of us probably know this Psalm very well, but when I looked at it this time, something was different.
As I read and thought about each verse, the Lord intently settled each one in my heart. I “saw” the verses personally, much different than I had in the past: Verse one taught me that I have all I need – I am provided for. Verse five revealed even in the presence of an enemy I can be in banquet with Jesus and receive His anointing. Verse six showed me that His goodness and mercy will pursue me for life.
Carving out that alone time with Jesus to go over verses I’d seen a hundred times opened my eyes and my heart more than I ever expected. I now live with a much better outlook on life, circumstances, peace, purpose, needs, and wants. All of this came from about an hour with Jesus and one popular psalm.
In Luke 10, we see Martha is upset at Mary because she’s cleaning the house while Mary sits and talks with Jesus. Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the “most important” thing. A few different translations write this as “essential”, “needful”, “necessary”, and “worth being concerned about”. That most important thing is sitting at His feet, learning from Him, being with Him!
Prioritizing time with Jesus shows us our real identity in Him, it gives us peace, and shows us how to love unconditionally. We learn the importance of forgiveness and how to show it like He does. We become reminded of the forgiveness He’s given us for our sins. It teaches us how to deal with our struggles and chaotic circumstances, teaching us how to defeat the enemy. It is in spending intimate time with Jesus that we find truth and a firm foundation for our lives.
Our to-do lists will always grow, but Jesus will always be the number one priority. It is integral we do whatever we can to be intentional with communicating with Him. There is nothing better.
Prayer
Jesus, I just want to spend time laying at Your feet. I want to unload my burdens and lay them down. At times, I am overwhelmed by all the things I have to do, and sometimes I forget to prioritize You the way I should. Forgive me of those mistakes. Make all of my days like new and excite me to sit in Your presence. It’s in Your name, Amen.
Extra Reading
All of Psalm 23 NLT
