We live
in a world where everything and everyone is in a hurry. We have fast food, fast
cars, fast conversations and just about anything else we can think of, we do so
in a hurry. We have even managed to shorten the English language so we can text
more quickly. For instance, I remember the first microwave my family had. We
purchased it from Sears and it was almost bigger than our kitchen! The thing
was massive. But, you could warm up a hot dog in a matter of seconds! One time
I left one in there for a long time just to see what would happen. It exploded.
All over the inside of the microwave was blown up pieces of processed meat products.
My mother was not happy.
We are
a society that is constantly looking for the fastest way to the end possible.
We want it quickly, we want it done quickly and we want to arrive quickly. We
are always in a hurry to go somewhere or do something. We rush into everything
and we try to rush out of everything as well. I know this truth all too well.
We have
this paperwork that I thought needed to be filled out and filed with the town
planning commission by the end of the business day today. I rushed to get it
done and I did get it done. But then, this morning things just didn’t seem to
be going our way. The filing of this paperwork will also cost the business
about $400 and that is a large chunk of money coming out of our account. I realized
while I was thinking about all this paperwork and the money that went with it,
that I was stressing out. I was in a hurry and for what purpose? I was trying
to get to where I thought we needed to be as quickly as I could, so I began to
pray. I prayed and asked the Lord to show me what to do, what direction I
needed to take. He told me to slow down, this journey is a walk, not a race.
The
other day I became so overwhelmed with everything that needs to be done with
the business that I almost lost control. I could tell my patience was wearing
thin and everyone and everything was getting on my nerves. I prayed to the Lord
and asked for His help. The last thing I wanted to do was get in my flesh and
strike out at someone. So I asked the Lord to calm my heart. It was then that I
realized it had been weeks since I had taken any time to rest. I have been
running a hundred miles an hour, seven days a week. Sooner or later this old
gal was going to end up like that poor hot dog I left in the microwave too
long. I was going to explode if I did not press the stop button. It was then that
the Lord started to speak to me about the importance of taking one day a week
or so to unplug and unwind.
“And
Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites
who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the Lord
your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept as they had heard the
words of the Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink
sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is
holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength.’ So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, ‘Be quiet, for this
day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and
drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had
understood the words that were declared to them.” Nehemiah 8:9-12
We left
the people of Israel lifting up and exalting the Lord their God and His Word.
In our last blog together we talked about the importance of God’s word in our
lives and how imperitive it is that we make time for it in our daily lives.
Now, in this next part we see Nehemiah and Ezra telling the people to make time
for His Presence as well. Nehemiah tells the people to set aside a day and make
it holy to the Lord their God. They are encouraged to set aside a day for the
purpose of enjoying the presence and the provision of the Lord their God. If we
do not make a point to set aside a day each week to rest and get renewed by His
presence then we will explode just like my hot dog did. We need to slow down
and remember that we are walking a journey, not racing a marathon. Time is only
a limit to us when we try to rush through the moments of our day’s. When we get
in a hurry, when we try to rush ahead we make time our enemy. God has given us
time for a reminder of how precious this life on earth is, and how precious our
time with Him is. Don’t hurry through it, set aside a day for Him and Him only.
Even God rested on the seventh day.
Take a
day to rest from all your labors, and unplug from all the world around you. If
you have to plan a day ahead of time to take a day trip somewhere, then do it. Turn
off your phone, unplug the social media and set aside that day for you and your
Lord. I think we are so afraid to unplug from this world because we might miss
something. Is anything so terrible going to happen that you can’t find out a
few hours later? We have to make this day holy, and we have to unplug.
This
day is also not a day of sorrows. This is not a day to reflect on how
undeserving you are of all God’s goodness. Let’s face it, we all need more than
one day a week to reflect on how undeserving we truly are! I need years, not
just a day! This day that we set aside needs to be a day of rejoicing. A day
that is filled with thanksgiving and praise for all that God has done for us.
This day is to be filled with the joy of His presence and to celebrate the
abundance of His mercy and provision for you.
Nehemiah
encourages the people in verse 10 to eat, drink and be merry on this day. He
encourages them to remember those who do not have and give to them out of their
abundance. Make this day a day of rejoicing by giving back some of what He has
given you. One of the things that we are looking into for our business is a
Client Appreciation Day. We want to thank and give back to all our clients who have
faithfully stood by us from the beginning. We want to feed them, fellowship
with them and tell them of the great work that God is doing in our lives through
this business. God is building an amazing testimony in you through the work He
is doing on your journey, share it with someone, encourage someone by telling
them how He led you thus far.
Nehemiah
goes on to tell us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” (vs. 10) Our
joy, our hope, and the very journey we are on is all because God has set our
feet upon this road. This day we must set aside will bring joy to your heart
and give you strength to keep pressing forward. There is joy in His presence.
The strength we will need to keep going and to keep moving forward is found in
these days when we can unplug and be in His presence. Set aside this day to
refuel because the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Lastly,
we need to set aside this day to be quiet. It is hard to hear someone talking to
you when the noise around you drowns them out. The Levites tell the people in
verse 11 to “Be quiet”. I have been running so fast that I haven’t been able to
stop and listen for the voice of my Lord. He was trying to tell me to slow down
but the sound of my feet running on the pavement was too loud for me to hear
His still small voice. We must slow down and be quiet so that we can hear the
still small voice of our Lord leading us and guiding us to the next steps on
our journey. The only one who is in a hurry is you. Slow down, take time for
the Lord your God and regain strength for the journey ahead in His joyous
presence. Be quiet, unplug, and let His still small voice rejuvenate you for
the journey yet to come. When your day’s start to rush and time seems to be
your enemy, put on the brakes before you explode and rejoice in the joy of His
presence. The only one in a hurry is you. May the Lord Jesus Christ encourage
you and strengthen you to make a day holy to Him. Amen and Amen
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