The One Thing

Luke 10: 41 – 42

But answering her, the Lord said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and bothered about many things; but only one thing is necessary.

I have been talking about the “one thing” for a while now. The reason is because this is the lesson I am learning. The Lord, our Father continues to peel back layers of the onion so that I can see more clearly what He means by “BE” with me. Just BE, rather than “Do” with me. What a simple yet challenging concept.

When Moses asked the Lord who he should say sent Him, God responded with, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3: 14). There is something both simple and profound about Yahweh’s answer and so many different meanings you can unpack. The newly revealed layer of the onion that I am now seeing for the first time is that God didn’t define Himself by what He did or was doing. His solid, enduring power is in the straightforwardness of just being. He is the God of many events and actions, without doubt, but the bedrock of our relationship with Him and of who He is can be found most clearly in the verb “to be.”

The picture above is of my lunch spot on a recent bike ride. You can see my bike there on the edge of the table. I also stopped at this site on my way back to my car. As I sat there with my legs stretched out, looking at the trees and the river just beyond, I thought I could at least pray while I sat there taking a break. Immediately, though, I felt the Holy Spirit stir within me and Father say, “Or you could just do nothing, just be with Me.”

Wow! There was that simple “being” with God again. It’s what Jesus tried to convey to Martha and what he suggested to the rich, young ruler. “Come be with me.” Some of us, me in particular, try to do everything. We do so much, in fact, that there is little quiet time within us. Our spirits and minds are whirring so fast and so constantly that it can be quite challenging to hear God or to fellowship in His presence.

This spot along the river was tranquil. Taking God’s words to heart, I calmed my mind and just enjoyed the beauty. All of a sudden, I became aware of lots of birds around me, the sound of the river, the rustle of leaves and the wind caressed them and the buzzing of insect wings. It was peaceful and beautiful.

I found myself relaxing and enjoying just taking in the sights and sounds. In that moment, I knew God. He was there with me. We didn’t have to chat, pray, plan or do anything. It was all about just enjoying time in His presence, just being with Him.

I believe we need these moments. We lead such busy lives these days that we create chaos and unrest within our souls. We need time when we can bask in God’s presence without doing anything; just resting in Him. It is restorative and healing.

Some of you can hear this, some of you can’t. I know, because it has taken me all these years to learn to slow down and just “be” with Yahweh. Father God didn’t save us so that He would have more employees. He saved us so He would have more kids to spend time with, to enjoy life with. Apparently, life wasn’t meant to be go, go, go. The idiom, stop and smell the roses comes to mind. We say it, but some of us still don’t do it. Well, maybe we can all take a couple of minutes today to stop for a moment and just “Be” in Father’s presence, just enjoy being without having to do anything.