Society has some positive things going for it, but one of the things that has been lost in our fast-paced world is that it has become harder to find someone who has the time to just sit and talk.
If we are not taking a child to soccer practice, we’re busy at work. If someone stops by just to talk, we sometimes feel inconvenienced as we think of all the things that we are trying to get done.
Now, on the one hand, it’s good to keep busy, but when it is taken to excess, we soon discover how lonely life can be, simply because we don’t have someone to talk to.
A boss urgently called an employee about an important matter. He called the employee and was greeted by a child’s, “hello?”
Feeling put out by the inconvenience of having to talk to this boy, the boss asked, “Is your daddy home?”
“Yes,” whispered the child.
“May I talk to him?” the man asked.
The boss was surprised when the small voice said, “no.”
The bossed pressed, “Well, could I talk to your mommy please?”
“Yes,” came the answer.
“May I talk to her?”
Again the little voice said, “no.”
Thinking that the child was not alone and that at least there should be a baby-sitter present, the boss asked, “Is there anyone there besides you?”
“Yes,” answered the child, “a policeman.”
Wondering what the officer was doing there, the boss asked, “May I speak to the policeman?”
“No, he’s busy,” said the child.
“Busy doing what?” asked the boss.
“He’s talking to the fireman, daddy and mommy,” came the answer.
Hearing the noise of a helicopter through the phone, the boss became concerned about what was really happening on the other end of the phone.
“What is that helicopter doing there?”
“It’s the search team, they just landed.”
The boss asked, “What are they doing there?”
The little boy piped up and said, “they’re looking for me!”
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone and found that they were just too busy? That can be frustrating, it can make us feel lonely, but it can also be discouraging because we can begin to feel that no one cares. Sometimes we think that God is the same way. After all, He has the world to watch over, plus a few billion people. Plus, we know we’ve made a few mistakes that He likely knows about. And so, we begin to conclude, “maybe God hasn’t got time to talk to me either. Maybe He is just too busy to talk to someone like me.”
The good news about those kind of conclusions is that they are not true.
God is never too busy. As a human being, you are the crown of God’s creation, you are His prime concern at all times, every moment of every day. Psalm 145:18 says He is never too busy to talk to you. He is always near. He never says, “some other time.” God loves to meet your needs. When you have a hard time meeting a need in your life; when there is more month left than money; when you just need someone to talk to and listen to you, you can confidently know that God is not annoyed by your request.
Matthew 7:11 says, “If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.” God is sympathetic to your hurts. God is never detached from what is going on in your life. He is never surprised or startled by what He sees going on in your life. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit.” When you hurt, God hurts. When you grieve, God grieves with you. He is there. And He cares.
The reality of this life is that it is busy for most people. In fact, because of people’s own busy agenda and because of the selfishness some people live by, they will never have time for you, even when you need them the most. But the good news is that God is never too busy to talk with you. In fact, He’s trying to talk to you right now if you will quiet yourself and listen.
This Faith Matters column is courtesy of Tri -Community Baptist Church in Beiseker.
