Intimacy with Christ is essential.  Even more so when we are enduring long seasons of intense intercession for our nation.  As we pray over our nation, it is important to keep our eyes on God and make time to sit at the feet of Jesus, otherwise, we may become a Martha, when we were destined to be a Mary.

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Imagine with me for a moment that you hear a knock at the door.  You arise to answer the door to find Jesus standing there.  With excitement, you invite Him in, just as Martha did long ago.

You are so excited you can hardly contain yourself, your mind is racing with thoughts of “How could this be happening?  This is the cry of my heart!  To sit at the feet of my Lord!  I can’t wait to hear what He has to say!  Oh my, just to be in His presence!”

The excitement quickly fades as you realize you were not expecting a visitor.  Certainly not this one.  You look around to discover the house is in disarray.  There is no food prepared. Suddenly, your heart drops.

Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered a village, called Bethany, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching. But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, “Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone? Tell her to help me and do her part.” But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, that which is to her advantage, which will not be taken away from her.”  Luke 10:38-42

Most of us are familiar with the story of Martha and Mary.  Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, while Martha was distracted with the responsibilities of life.  For many of us, it is our hearts cry to be like Mary, and sit at the feet of our Lord.  Yet, time and again, I find I have more of Martha in me than I desire.

I love to spend time with God.  Times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19)  His presence is the source of my strength and my peace. Yet, while my heart longs to sit at the feet of my Lord, responsibilities of life distract me.

Frequently, when I set aside quiet time with God, my mind begins to race.  As I sit down and grab my Bible, I think, “I should put in a load of laundry first.”

My thought is the laundry can run while I am spending time with God.  So, I start the laundry.

Then, I see a few dishes that need to be cleared. Tidiness matters to me, so I put up the dishes.  Once I give in to the distractions, my mind is off God and onto what needs to be done before I can spend time with God. When this happens, I fail to complete my quiet time with God.

Perhaps it’s not laundry or dishes. Perhaps the phone rings and gets our attention.  Or someone knocks at the door.  Many things can cause distraction.  Many things pull our mind and heart away from this much needed time with Jesus.

As I meditated further on this passage of scripture, something caught my eye.  It was Martha who welcomed Jesus into their home. She is the one who initiated the visit.

Yet, as soon as He was in the door, she was busy preparing, cooking, and serving. While responsibilities distracted Martha, she missed the most important thing.  She missed an opportunity of a lifetime.

Jesus said, only one thing was needed.

In your intimate times with Jesus, only one thing is needed.  He doesn’t care if your laundry is not done. It will be there later.  He doesn’t mind if you have a few dishes in the sink. They will wait on you.  He doesn’t mind if you allow the kids to sleep for an extra thirty minutes. There is simply one thing He desires — you, all of you.

Jesus said, one thing will last. One thing will remain. The food will be gone, the clean house will get dirty again, but one thing will last forever and that is the time we spend at the feet of Jesus.  Only one thing will remain.

God knows me.  He knows I struggle with being a Martha.  As a loving Father, He has a gentle way of correcting.  Lately, when I begin my quiet time with God, if I am drawn away by my mental to-do list, He quietly speaks to me with the words, “Martha, Martha.”

That gets my attention. I don’t want to be a Martha. I want to be a Mary. I have found, the quicker I heed this correction, the more time I have at His feet.  Consequently, more time at His feet means more of Him in my life. It means more of His peace and more of His power.

As I studied this story, I became curious concerning the name Martha.  I looked up the meaning of this name in the Strong’s Concordance to find it means, “she was rebellious.”  Ouch!

Paul says in Romans 7:19, “I know what I should be doing, but my flesh wants to do something else.”  I know exactly how he felt.  My spirit wants to spend time with God, yet, my flesh constantly recites my things-to-do list. Does that happen to you?

Thank God we have the power to choose. The Bible teaches us that everything in life is a choice.  It is important we remember to “Choose life.”

How do we do that? By choosing to lay aside everything that hinders us from spending time with God. It is, after all, the only thing that will remain for eternity.  It is the one thing that won’t be taken from us.  Prayer for our nation and it’s leaders is vital, however, we must not allow, even that, to hinder our intimate time at the feet of Jesus.

Yes, we must continue to intercede for our nation and its leaders.  But let’s not forget to silence the Martha in us and take time to simply sit at His feet. It will be time well spent.  In this, we will be fully equipped to stand in the power of the Lord, declaring God’s will over our nation.

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Author Kim Potter is a writer and the founder of A New Thing Ministries, which sends a daily teaching to thousands of people all around the world. Her articles have appeared on The Elijah List, Charisma, Spirit Fuel and iBelieve.com. Kim’s message is one of hope. She speaks to the heart of those who have grown discouraged or disappointed by the circumstances of life, imparting hope. To receive her daily inspirational writings, go to www.anewthingministries.com. (Photo Credit: Canva.)