“He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.”
— Psalm 23:2-3
Every morning when I run with my dog, Huxley, I feel like I'm dragging him the entire time. He lags behind me on the leash, and I pull his every step. Maybe he’s getting slower as he gets older. I’m definitely not getting faster!
On a recent run, as I tugged on his leash and encouraged him to pick up the pace, God revealed a profound truth to me: “Your soul is Huxley, and you keep dragging it behind you. You need to stop this crazy pace. Be still. And let your soul catch up.” Ouch. I was immediately convicted. As I reflected upon what the Lord had told me, I realized my problem was two little words I’ve since deleted from my vocabulary: “I’m busy.”
“Busyness makes us stop caring about the things we care about.”
— Mark Buchanan
I think we can all attest to the trap of busyness, especially in our culture. But busyness is a lie. It goes like this: “If I’m busy, I’m important. If I’m still, I’m insignificant.” We are addicted to busy. Slaves to our schedules, when our alarms go off, we hit the ground running. We are constantly on the go. We have become experts at multi-tasking, and we have replaced activity for achievement. When we’re not doing something, we almost feel guilty — like we should be doing something. If we take a break, it’s almost never in silence; we find something else to create noise and fill the void. “I’m busy” is the new response to, “How are you today?” We act busy even if we’re not.
I’ve heard busy defined as “Being Under Satan’s Yoke.” Nobody wants to admit they’re under Satan’s control. When we say we’re busy, we think we’re in control, but the truth is we’re out of control.
Busyness is a silent killer.
In the Chinese language, busyness is the single pictograph of two characters–heart and killing! Busyness is the undiagnosed disease of our day, and it’s robbing us of life. Being busy brings stress and exhaustion, and it crowds out the most important things. Busyness throws us into survival mode, leaving no time for mission and meaning.
Is it possible to take a step back and embrace the quietness of life? Is there something that replenishes? The Lord makes it clear in His Word how to avoid busyness: Waiting. Resting. Stillness. Solitude.
“Wait for the LORD; be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for the LORD.”
— Psalm 27:14
The antidote to busyness is pausing long enough to hear our own thoughts and God’s thoughts. In this place, we will discover if our hearts are hard or soft to the things of God. Can we hear the whispers of God? Stillness, not activity, disciplines our hearts. It creates a hunger for God’s Word, for rest and for solitude.
The will must be still.
Guard your heart and escape from the busyness of life. Live and lead from quietness. Plan time for rest so you get nourished from the inside out. Solitude is the cure for busyness; it will bring health and create space for Jesus to fill.
Consistent, constant and consuming solitude fuels worship and prayer. It unlocks the yearnings of our hearts. No TV. No music. No computer. No phone. No words. Just solitude. Sit. Listen. Wait. Be still.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.”
— Psalm 23:2-3
Father, teach me how to be still and hear Your voice. May my life be marked with stillness not busyness. Lead me into a quiet place so You can refresh my soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen.