I live a hectic life. I juggle many components for my full-time job as a teacher, and I wear other hats of wife, mother, daughter, student, and friend (just to name a few). Recently, I added to my activities by joining the in-person Women’s Bible Study at my church. Before I signed up, I questioned my family, asking them if they thought I had the time. I felt the Lord prompting me to connect with ladies in my church and learn more about “Prayer in Every Season,” and they agreed that if it was God’s will, He would provide the time. So I filled out a form, ordered my book, and trusted that I would have the energy to go and participate, even though this puts me out of the house from 7:30 in the morning until 9:00 pm each Thursday.
Bible Study
I was late signing up, so I missed the first week of study. On the second week, after worship and teaching in the main sanctuary, I met the ladies in my small group for the first time. We gathered together for snacks and conversation based on a list of questions we answered independently at home. Our topic was “Praying the Promises of God”. After the discussion, we took turns at the round table and shared our prayer requests.
I had been feeling overwhelmed with family burdens, stressed over my time commitments, and anxious about finishing up the tasks for work that needed to be done. I asked my study group to pray that God would “multiply my time” so that I could complete the jobs and fulfill the responsibilities set before me.
“Is multiplying your time a promise of God?” one lady asked, and so I had to stop and think. Is it? What was it that I really desired? It was not to have 36 hours in the day while everyone else has only 24. It was more that I wanted clear direction on what was most important each day. I desired less anxiety and stress so that I could think more clearly, and I wanted to be effective and efficient with my time.
I have always believed that God would give me the strength and energy to do the things that He has called me to do. But I needed to take a few minutes to consider. Are the things I am doing what God wants me to do? If so, why am I so troubled and exhausted?
The First Answer
The next morning, I received the first response to my prayer request for more time, when God woke me early, before the sun was up, to study the Bible for answers. I looked first to the example of Jesus. He was never too anxious or too busy for those around him! I meditated on all he accomplished and all the people he was able to reach. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (NIV).
My first thought was that God has a sense of humor, multiplying my time by getting me up so early. I am not by nature a morning person. However, as I sat there, drinking my hot tea with darkness shut out behind the curtains, I realized the main point. Jesus started each day with prayer; then the rest of the day was as it should be.
The Lord is my Helper
I considered: Were my feelings of being overwhelmed due to the fact that I was trying to accomplish everything by my own strength instead of coming before God in the morning and asking Him for help? Psalm 54:4 says, “Behold, God is my helper. The LORD is the upholder of my life.” Here was a promise from God that I could stand on.
Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He shall sustain you: He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (NIV). I realized that I was not throwing my burdens at God like the word “cast” suggests. Instead, I was lugging them around in my backpack.
I also took another look at a verse from our study the night before. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke about you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My Yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). For the first time, I thought about a yoke. It is a wooden bar or frame for two animals, not just one. I did not need to carry these burdens alone, rather, I needed to give Jesus control to guide my efforts as a yoke guides the oxen.
In addition, I contemplated the importance of understanding what God wants me to do each day. Sometimes I start in one direction and get pushed into another, but that’s okay. God has the yoke in his hand. I just need to trust, obey, and follow his lead. He is the director, and I can count on his promises because He is faithful to keep them.
Multiplication of Time
Now that I had been reminded that God will carry my burdens and help me do the tasks set before me, I turned to the question of time. I know God can do all things, but was the request to “multiply my time” a valid one? Suddenly, the Holy Spirit brought to mind the story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fish to feed over 5,000 people (Matthew 14:13-21).
The story begins with Jesus learning that his cousin John had just been beheaded by King Herod. Upon hearing the news, the Bible says, “He withdrew to a solitary place” (Matthew 14:13). I imagine that he was carrying quite a burden of grief. As Jesus had done so many times before, he went straight to his Father, God, to talk to him about it. However, this time, rather than let Jesus be alone to mourn, the crowds of people followed Him. Rather than turn the people away, Matthew says that Jesus had compassion on the throng and healed them (Matthew 14:14).
Later that evening, the disciples came to Jesus and presented another problem. The multitude was out in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, and now they were hungry.
The response from Jesus is surprisingly practical. Well then, “…Give them something to eat”.
An Unattainable Request
At this point, the disciples were presented with a humanly impossible task. They were probably even more overwhelmed by their situation than I was with my problems. But God has a way of multiplying what we surrender to Him. When the disciples handed over all that they had, five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus gave thanks for it and broke it into pieces. God can do anything. These segments were doubled and tripled until over 5,000 men were fed along with all of the women and children.
If God can multiply a few fish and bread to feed thousands of people, then surely it is okay for me to ask Him to multiply my time, so that I can do what He calls me to do. I gave thanks to God for what He had given me, and I began to move.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor is not in vain (I Cor 15:58).
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the LORD as a reward. It is the LORD Christ you are serving.”
Prayers
As I studied the Bible that morning, I prayed, “Give me a clear focus on what’s most important each day. Help me to complete tasks in an efficient order. Take away my anxiety and stress so that I can think more clearly. Let tasks look simple and not overwhelming. Help me to find joy in my work. Thank you for giving me talents and letting me enjoy creativity. Help others to see your peace in me. Amen.”
Meanwhile, my sisters from the Bible Study Group also prayed for me, asking God to make my time more effective, lift my burdens, and give me wisdom.
God was reliable that day, as He always is. It turns out that I do not need more hours in the day because I got everything done that needed to be done, and I slept well that night.
Continued Prayer
I must admit that I will need to continue to pray about this area in my life because it is a struggle for me. Oftentimes, I give my burdens to God only to grab them right back. Instead of being weighed down with stress, apprehension, and anxiety, I need to continue to cast my cares upon Him, because He cares for me (I Peter 5:7). I must surrender everything and bring it in prayer to the one who can make all things possible.
