Dr. Ray Pritchard Christian Blog and Commentary

Act now to share the love of Christ in the Middle East

Day 5: Unhurried

  • Dr. Ray Pritchard
    Dr. Ray Pritchard is the president of Keep Believing Ministries, an Internet-based ministry serving Christians in 225 countries. He is the author of 29 books, including Stealth Attack, Fire and Rain,… More
  • Updated Mar 02, 2009


Charles Hummel’s classic booklet called Tyranny of the Urgent begins with a simple question. “Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day?” Heads nod all round. When Hummel first wrote his essay in 1967, he identified the telephone as among the chief offenders against a peaceful life. What would he say today about the Internet, email, text messages, cell phones, PDAs, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, beepers, pagers, and devices such as Bluetooth, Blackberry and the iPhone.

Come to think of it, what would he say about Lenten blogs?

Hummel points out that Jesus never hurried because he always knew where he was going. He “set his face like a flint” to go to Jerusalem, and that’s where he went. 

In the middle of a very busy period of ministry, with people clamoring left and right for his attention, including the sick who came for healing, Mark 1:35 tells us how Jesus responded to so many pressing needs. “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.”

Jesus was so busy that he decided to slow down and talk to God. 

It’s Monday.
Are you in a hurry yet?
Have you let the urgent crowd out the really important in your life?

Our problem is not a shortage of time. We have all the time we need to do everything that really matters. Or to say it another way. We have all the time we need to do God’s will today.

So let’s get back to the basics and ask God for his help. 

Slow me down, Lord, lest I go so fast that somehow I leave you behind and end up trying to do it all on my own. Amen.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.