Stay a Minute

14 I know that everything God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

In August, I scheduled a couple of days in Lubbock, Texas, for a planning retreat at my favorite spot. My desk was buried under commentaries and handwritten notes. But this time, I couldn't pull a single thought together.

Recognizing that hurrying was the wrong approach, I shut the books. John 6 had been on my mind for a while, so I read all seventy-one verses in one sitting. No notes, no outline for a message. Then I turned off the lamp and went to sleep.

Ecclesiastes is not about my sermon preparation; it is about God's work throughout history. What God does endures, and I cannot add to it or take anything away. I should stand before it, not manage it.

I continually catch myself doing this. I sit down with my morning coffee and immediately reach for my phone. Or something funny happens in the kitchen with my kids, and before the moment ends, I’m already figuring out how to post it or turn it into a sermon illustration. I can turn a moment into material before I’ve even lived it.

Reading John 6 that night eventually led to a month of preaching, but the preparation came later. In that dark room, I didn't need a sermon outline. I needed to be in my Father's presence.

Sometimes, the most faithful thing you can do is stay there.

Father, forgive me for acting like Your work depends on my effort. Teach me to stand in reverence before what only You can do.