I attended a Sunday School class on “The Tyranny of the Urgent”. I didn’t speak up much as I was processing through some of the discussion. And those who spoke clearly had their viewpoint from which all others should follow. Jesus woke up early to spend time with His Father, so, thus, we all should do the same. Really? Those who make that argument are always clearly morning people. And how can I argue against them? If Jesus did it, then we ALL should do it. And since the discussion happens in the morning, the people arguing actually have a hand up in the discussion. Us “night people” are still just waking up!
I’m not saying that spending time with God in the morning is bad. Sure, it can help serve to “set the mood” for the day. And apparently, those who make that argument have perfect no-mess lives each day. Clearly because they “set the mood” earlier in the day. It’s as if God only lives in the morning. My “evening” (or dare I say it, night!) times with God have been very powerful in my life. More powerful (for me, at least) than any mornign time I could have.
Part of the discussion ended with making decisions by making sure God calls us to do whatever is calling for our attention. Ok I can buy into that for the most part. We should seek to find God’s will in everything then live out that call. However, (you knew that was coming) I was raised and tend to live out the “ideal” of seeing a need then fulfilling that need with the resources God has given me. So, I certainly sit on the “doing” side of the fence. I often do first and ask God later. Perhaps something I need to reconsider.
It occurs to me that people often use the argument “God didn’t ‘call’ me to do that” in order to get themselves out of things they just don’t want to do. I see people putting God up as the priority in their lives but then use that “priority” to NOT do things that perhaps He is actually calling them to do. Is it possible to so closely guard time to the degree that time becomes a god? Did Jesus allow the urgent to derail the important? We see Him meeting the needs of those around Him time and time again. Though people argued against this thought, it appears that His “priority” was to simply meet the urgent needs. Is it possible that the urgent is also the important?
Then the question really is How do you discover God’s will? How can someone be confident that the decision they make is the right one? I agree that some people somehow seem to find that God’s will is what comes easiest or is most convenient. On the flip side, others may feel that the hard thing is always God’s will. My guess is that it’s not always one way or the other.
I do think that Finding God’s will would be a great topic to cover in Sunday School, though. And if you agree to lead it, I’d be happy to move it to 11PM.