Living in a Frenzy

If there is one word that accurately describes our postmodern world, it is the word motion. We are living in a time of unprecedented activity. People are rushing, people are moving, people are on the go, living their lives in ceaseless locomotion.

Stand on any bustling street corner and witness the stress that is etched in people's faces. Lean over a freeway overpass and watch the endless rush of speeding cars, often driven by frustrated and even angry drivers. Park near an airport and observe the crowded planes bound for multiple worldwide destinations.

Truly the whole world is in a full court press. And of course the book of Daniel predicted this for the end times when it said, many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased. Americans have become, dare I say it, addicted to this fast-paced lifestyle.

Indeed television programming experts now say that in order to hold a viewer's attention, the scene must change on the screen every three seconds or they'll become bored and change the channel. One of the unfortunate effects of such frantic living has been a high level of impatience in people's lives. Our daily decisions are affected much more than most of us realize by how quickly we can accomplish a given task.

Ray Kroc was the first to capitalize on this new phenomenon when he opened a chain of fast food restaurants named McDonald's. The enormous success he enjoyed certainly did not come from the quality of food he provided but from the fact that he could provide it instantly without waiting. In our frenzied tempo of life we want what we want now.

It should go without saying that the flesh thrives in such an environment. Interestingly two of the fruits of the spirit cited in Galatians 5 are peace and patience. The writer of Hebrews simply wrote, you have need of patience.

Truer words have never been written for today's churchgoer. Ministers are not exempt from this carnal characteristic either. With overbooked schedules, ringing telephones, piles of mail to sort through, emails to answer, rushing from one appointment to the next, pastors today more closely resemble business entrepreneurs than shepherds of the flock.

Imagine the devastating effect this has on their spiritual capacity to lead people into the presence of the Almighty. We would all do well to heed the warning of Corrie Ten Boom, beware of the barrenness of a busy life. Truth be told we have lost the ability, even the desire to quiet ourselves.

No wonder the church with all its programs, building projects, and endless round of activities produces such meager and superficial fruit. In fact it seems the more ministries strive to accomplish the less they produce anything of eternal value. Rather than waiting to hear the Lord's direction and calmly getting in the flow of what He is doing, too often ministry leaders attempt to accomplish their own agendas through their own hard work.

To such an attitude the prophet Haggai exclaimed, you have sown much but harvest little, you look for much but behold it comes to little. Jesus said he who abides in me and I in him he bears much fruit for apart from me you can do nothing. How different all of this hustle and bustle is to the way the Lord has moved on men's souls in past centuries.

It was the solitude found in the vast wastelands of the wilderness that produced God-filled men like Moses, David, and Paul. Even as recent as a hundred years ago pastors understood what it meant to sit still and wait upon God. They learned how to receive divine inspiration for their people through the discipline of tarrying before the Lord.

What would happen if Christians simply began spending less time in front of the television and the internet and more time in the presence of God? What would happen if Christians consecrated the first hour of their day to be in the word and prayer? What could God do in them and through them? The truth is that a believer cannot have a meaningful connection with the Lord when his flesh is all in an uproar. We can't change the fact that we live in a fast-paced world, but we can take steps to change the atmosphere within our homes. We can do more to separate ourselves from the frantic noise of this world.

We can learn to quiet ourselves in the Lord's presence. If motion and noise characterize the spirit of this world perhaps we should allow silence and stillness to play a more important role in our lives. Perhaps then we would be better able to hear the voice of the Lord.