Work, Wisdom and the One Thing Needed

There are mornings when we awaken with a heavy schedule bearing down upon us. When that happens, we are tempted to skip prayer and Bible reading and head right into our work. However, the very opposite response is really what we need. When we are feeling pressured by our schedules, that is the very time when we ought to pause and pray.

The more we have going on in our lives, the more we need God to give us wisdom to accomplish one task at a time. It’s comforting to know that God cares about every aspect of our lives. No matter how busy we are, we do well to pray about each task we face. We can ask God to help us prioritize our workload and to give us wisdom on how best to tackle each task. The Bible tells us, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

Jesus once went to visit his friends Mary and Martha. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to all He said, while Martha raced around preparing the meal. Martha was annoyed that Mary wasn’t helping her, so she said to Jesus, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her” (Lk 10:39–42). Martha was doing important things, preparing food and a place to rest for Jesus and His disciples, but Mary chose something even more important. She was at the Lord’s feet listening to Him.