Week 8 | Wednesday

Read: 1 Kings 19:11-13

There’s a difference between what’s important and what’s urgent. Not everything that needs to be done is important, and not every important thing is urgent. The number of things that are both important and urgent is much smaller than we might think.

We tend to treat most things as though they’re both important and urgent. That’s how we wind up trying to pack 200+ hours of activity into 168 hours per week. When something’s got to give, we create space by sacrificing what’s important but not urgent. We go to bed late. We eat at our desks or in the car. We skip our devotional time, promising to get to it later…and rarely do.

Many of those important things provide space to be still, sit in the presence of God, and hear what He wants to say to us. God is a gentleman. He won’t scream to get your attention. Often, He whispers to us just like He did with Elijah.

Hearing God’s voice takes more than just hitting the off switch on your schedule. If your calendar has space, but your mind does not, you will still struggle to hear God’s still small voice.

That’s why we need consistent rhythms of rest. Here’s a practical first step: be intentional. I like to begin each work week with a list of tasks that need to be done before the weekend (urgent). Then, I look at all my appointments – meetings, volunteering obligations, personal plans, stuff with my kids, family time, etc. I schedule all my tasks around those appointments and within regular working hours. Then, I follow that schedule the best I can.

Things come up, I get distracted, and stuff takes longer than I think it will. So, I reschedule some of the tasks. But I do my best not to stray too far from the plan. Why? Failing to plan is planning to fail. What am I planning for? Getting my work done, sure. More than that, I am planning for balance.

I try to protect my evenings so I can be available for my family. I protect my early mornings so I can start my day with God. When I do this well, I am more available for my family and more focused in my time with God…and my whole attitude is different. Doing chores around the house feels like rest. Helping with dinner feels like rest. Laying on the couch watching movies definitely feels like rest…and in the midst of that, I just have more peace. That makes it easier to hear God’s voice, relax in His presence, and find real rest.

Are you looking for peace that leads to rest? Ask God to show you one practical step you can take this week to start becoming more complete in this way.