Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
Proverbs 3:6-7a, MSG*
In the big things, the scary things, the God-sized things, it’s easy to remember to rely on God’s strength. We pray, we listen, we don’t dare risk moving ahead on our own.
What about the little things? The daily routines, small decisions, mundane chores. They’re the ones we often handle solo, using the skill and common sense that God gave us.
The problem is, these minor duties (including our day jobs) can fill our time and our thoughts until they’re all we see. We miss what else God might want to do through, with or for us.
Or we begin to own responsibility for the little things, but not in a good way. We decide what’s good enough or how to allocate our time among various tasks. We’re in charge of this corner of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom. God’s in charge, and He’s interested in it all. We’re to work at whatever we do as if serving Him directly. (Colossians 3:23)
There’s not enough time to do everything we want, or to achieve perfection in all that we do. Finding the balance in how to spend our time, how much attention to put on any one of our many little responsibilities, needs prayer. It takes prayer to know when to step away from our agendas, and to recognize the difference between a distraction and God’s redirection.
I can spend my day going in circles, anxious and unproductive, spending too much time on one thing and forgetting another. I know I’m not doing a good job, and it makes me feel bad. But when I commit my day to the Lord, and remember to check in with Him regularly, it’s a different experience.
For me, it comes back to remembering who’s the Boss. And that He’s a good one, with good plans for me. I also need to remember that my small writer/homemaker corner is part of His Kingdom, with all the privileges and responsibilities that entails.
Holy and magnificent God, forgive us for the ways we complicate life and make it more difficult and less joyful than You intend. You know our weakness and yet You love us. Give us clear perspective of Your sovereignty and of our places in Your Kingdom. Help us serve You with willing hearts, glad in the knowledge that You’re in charge and not we ourselves.
∞
Brian Doerksen‘s song, “Everything (God in My Living)” is a good prayer of focus for us today.
*The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson