Luke tells about two women named Mary and Martha. Martha reminds me of the many Christians who have gotten trapped in the busyness of life.
Now while they were on their way, it occurred that Jesus entered a certain village, and a woman named Martha received and welcomed Him into her home. And she had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching. But Martha [overly occupied and too busy] was distracted with much serving; and she came up to Him and said, Lord, is it nothing to You that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me [to lend a hand and do her part along with me]!
(Luke 10:38-41)
You know, this account could have been left out of the Bible. It doesn’t tell us about one of Jesus’ great miracles, such as healing a blind man or causing the lame to walk again. This story is just about a time when Jesus visited someone’s house.
It could have been left out of the Bible so easily, but it wasn’t. I believe God had a very good reason for including this passage of Scripture. In one sense, it is a prophetic message for the Church in these last days.
Notice that both of these women were given the same opportunity to increase and advance in God through Jesus’ visit to their home. Both of them loved Jesus. Both of them wanted to serve Jesus with all their hearts. But Mary chose a different way than her sister did to demonstrate her love for the Master.
Verse 39 says Mary seated herself at the feet of Jesus. No one said, “Come on over here, Mary, and sit down. Jesus is going to preach now.” On the contrary, Martha was hollering at her to come and help in the kitchen!
So many voices bombard us, distracting us each day from spending time with God. “Will you help me do this? Can you come to my house? Let’s do this today.” Martha’s voice was pressuring Mary to get up and help with dinner preparations. Nevertheless, Mary seated herself. That means she made a quality decision. She probably thought, I’m going to sit down here, come hell or high water, and listen to my Jesus! Mary was following the scriptural principle that says the violent take the kingdom of God by force (Matt. 11:12).
You have to do the same thing with your fellowship with God. Take it by force! You’re not going to get quality time with God by saying, “What will be, will be. Maybe I’ll find some time to spend with God; maybe I won’t.”
You’ll never develop a close relationship with God with that kind of attitude! The things of God will cost you something. There is a price to be paid for His treasures. You won’t discover them in the shallowness and busyness of everyday life.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”