The Unseen Enemy of Worship (Exodus 5:17)
“Pharaoh told God’s people, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.”
We often answer the question, “How are you doing?” by saying something like, “I’m doing good… just really busy.”
We’re busy with work.
We’re busy with our families.
We’re busy with our ministries.
And the list goes on and on.
The other day, I was reading the story of how Pharaoh made God’s people make bricks without straw. I found it so interesting that one of the main reasons Pharaoh increased their workload was because they wanted to go and worship God in the desert.
We often think it’s the “bad” things that keep us from worshiping God. And while sin can certainly hinder our worship, more often, it’s busyness that gets in the way. We fill our lives with so many things—usually good things—that we’re often too tired to worship.
In a world that constantly tells us to do more, we must be careful not to become so busy that worship gets replaced by our never-ending to-do list.
We know that busyness negatively affects our lives, yet we often refuse to give it up. It puts a strain on our families, our marriages, and our emotional well-being. It leaves us stressed, overwhelmed, and sometimes even bitter.
But perhaps one of the greatest—and most overlooked—effects of busyness is what it does to our worship.
Busyness is often the unseen enemy of worship.