Challenge139 — Day 73

FILAS Women Online
Devotional for a deeper, more intimate walk with the God who knows you completely.

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 139:1–3 (KJV)

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.”

Luke 10:41–42 (KJV)

“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Devotional Reflection

Don’t Get So Busy Serving That You Forget to Sit

Sis, this lesson is definitely one that I will circle back to after our Challenge139 because I am sure that we can all relate to Ms. Martha. Sis, have you ever been so busy taking care of everything and everybody that you reached the end of the day and realized you hadn’t taken a moment to care for yourself, much less spend intentional time with God? Your day started with responsibilities, moved into obligations, and ended with a list of things you still needed to accomplish. You prayed while driving, whispered a quick “Thank You, Lord” between tasks, and promised yourself that tomorrow you would slow down long enough to spend some quiet time with Him. But tomorrow came, and the cycle started all over again. Sometimes we become so accustomed to being busy that we don’t recognize how little room we’ve left for stillness.

Psalm 139 reminds us that God knows our downsitting and our uprising. He knows when we’re moving and when we’re resting. He is acquainted with all our ways, including the pace at which we live our lives. He knows the responsibilities we carry, the expectations placed upon us, and the things we feel obligated to accomplish. But He also knows when our busyness begins to interfere with the very relationship that is supposed to sustain us. God doesn’t simply know what we do. He knows what all that doing is doing to us.

In Luke 10, we find two sisters, Martha and Mary, responding differently to the presence of Jesus. Martha was busy serving, while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to His word. Martha became frustrated because she felt she was carrying the responsibility alone, and she asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her. But Jesus responded with words that still speak to us today: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.” He wasn’t condemning the act of serving. Hospitality and service are valuable. But He was addressing the worry, distraction, and frustration that had begun to consume Martha’s heart.

And Sis, if we’re honest, some of us can recognize a little Martha in ourselves. We love God. We want to serve Him. We want things to be done well. We want people to be cared for, responsibilities to be handled, and commitments to be fulfilled. But sometimes we become so focused on making sure everything is right that we lose sight of the One we’re doing it for. We can become irritated when others aren’t helping, overwhelmed when things don’t go according to plan, and exhausted because we’ve convinced ourselves that everything depends on us.

Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the good part. Mary recognized that being in the presence of Jesus and receiving His word was worth making room for, even when there were other things that could have been done. That doesn’t mean Mary would never need to get up and serve. It means she understood that there are moments when sitting at His feet is more important than staying busy with our hands. There is a time to serve, and there is a time to be still enough to receive.

Sometimes we confuse being productive with being spiritually healthy. We measure our faithfulness by how much we accomplish, how many responsibilities we manage, how many people we help, or how involved we are in ministry. But spiritual intimacy isn’t measured by the length of our to-do list. We can be present at every church activity, volunteer for every assignment, participate in every program, and still find ourselves spiritually depleted because we haven’t made room to simply sit with God.

And here’s something I want us to understand: God doesn’t only value you when you’re doing something for Him. Before you served in ministry, before you accepted a leadership position, before you helped anyone, organized anything, or accomplished anything, He knew you. He loved you. He formed you with intention. Your relationship with Him was never supposed to be based solely on what you could produce.

Maybe that’s why today’s message is so important. Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to step away from the noise, the responsibilities, and the expectations long enough to hear what God is saying. Not because our responsibilities don’t matter, but because our relationship with Him matters more. We cannot continually pour into others while neglecting the One who renews our strength.

Sis, perhaps the question today isn’t whether you’re doing enough for God. Perhaps it’s whether you’re making enough room to be with Him. Maybe you’ve been so busy preparing, planning, serving, leading, helping, and handling everything that you’ve forgotten what it feels like to simply sit quietly in His presence without an agenda.

So today, before you add another task to your schedule, consider making room for the One who knows your schedule better than you do. Open your Bible without rushing to finish a chapter. Pray without feeling pressured to say everything perfectly. Sit quietly without trying to solve another problem. Allow yourself to be a daughter in His presence before you return to being everything everyone else needs you to be.

Sis, don’t get so busy serving that you forget to sit.

Because sometimes the most important thing you can do isn’t another assignment.

It’s choosing the good part.

Journal Prompt

Take a moment and honestly evaluate the pace of your life.

Have I become so busy doing things for God and others that I’ve neglected intentional time simply being with Him?

Then ask yourself:

What responsibilities, distractions, or expectations have been taking priority over my personal time with God?

Finish by writing:

“Lord, help me recognize when my busyness is interfering with my relationship with You. Teach me to make room for Your presence, not just Your assignments.”

Today’s Challenge

Choose the Good Part

Today, set aside 10 uninterrupted minutes to simply sit with God.

Not to prepare a lesson.

Not to plan a ministry activity.

Not to write something for someone else.

Not to complete another spiritual task.

Just to be with Him.

During those 10 minutes:

Read Luke 10:38–42 slowly.
Ask God to reveal where busyness may be distracting you from His presence.
Sit quietly and reflect on what you’ve read.
Thank Him for loving you beyond what you accomplish.

Before returning to your responsibilities, remind yourself:

“I am more than what I do. I am His, and time with Him matters.”

Today’s Prayer

Lord, thank You for knowing every part of my life, including the responsibilities I carry and the pace at which I move. Forgive me for the times I’ve become so consumed with doing things that I’ve neglected simply being with You. Help me recognize when my service has become overshadowed by worry, frustration, or exhaustion. Teach me to value Your presence above my productivity and Your Word above the noise of my responsibilities. Give me wisdom to manage my commitments, courage to establish necessary boundaries, and humility to recognize that everything does not depend on me. Lord, I don’t want to become so busy working for You that I forget to spend time with You. Help me choose the good part each day. Renew my heart, restore my focus, and deepen my relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sis, Remember This…

God doesn’t measure your love for Him by how exhausted you become serving Him.

Sis, don’t get so busy doing things for God that you forget to spend time with God. Sometimes the most important thing on your schedule is simply sitting at His feet. 💗