“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” -Psalm 46:10
The Bible says that busyness leads to doubt and a spiritual disconnection from God. In Psalm 46:10 there is a direct link between being still and knowing that God truly is God. If we are too busy for God, our stillness before the Lord will vanish, along with our peace.
The sinful nature, the world, and Satan thrive when we are too busy for God. The Bible says, therefore, that if you want to know God, then you must avoid busyness.
The Bible Says Business Causes You to Forget about God
God (Psalm 46:10) states that to “Be still” is directly connected to knowing that “I am God.” When life gets too busy, humans start forgetting things. The more tasks we have on our mental to do lists, the more likely we will forget one of them. The same is true in our relationship with God.
When busyness sets in and the troubles of the world begin to weigh on the human mind, the things we forget first in our memory are the things of heaven. Earth and its worries always try to crowd out God and his care (Matthew 6:25-34). The busier we are, the faster we forget about God.
Colossians 3:2-3 states, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Humans clearly struggle with setting our minds on what is before us rather than on the One who is above us. Paul tells us that we must remember God if we are to thrive in such a crazy world.
Busyness may make us feel important in our worldly settings, but all it’s really doing is taking time away from prayer, Bible study, and our personal intimacy with God.
The Bible Says Forgetting about God Causes You to Be Too Busy
If you don’t trust that God is truly God, then you will not have the ability to “be still.” The Bible explains that busyness is the result of doubting God’s power and sovereignty to provide.
Granted, life will always be busy when you have good responsibilities in your life like taking care of others, parenting, being a good spouse, and so on. But within each of our hearts there is a line we can quickly cross if the cares of this world choke out our communion to our Heavenly Father.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:4). The way we are to “be strong, and let your heart take courage” is to “wait for the Lord!” Waiting and doing nothing can be sinful in certain situations. But waiting on the Lord is different.
Waiting on the Lord is actively putting your trust and hope in God’s power. Waiting on God does not mean you sit and do nothing until the clouds part. It could mean you do not act physically and externally, but just because you not acting does not mean you are doing nothing. Trusting God is doing something.
To avoid busyness by waiting on God might mean you start walking in faith while you “wait” for God to use the work you are doing to advance his Kingdom. There’s no canned answered. We must walk with God on how we are to express our trust and our waiting on the Lord.
The Bible Says Sinful Busyness Causes Doubt and Disconnection from God
Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” If you are not still, you will not know that God is God. And if you do not know God is truly the Sovereign God who reigns over all, then you will not be still. When these things happen, doubt and disconnection always appear.
In Mark 4:18-19 Jesus explains, “And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” When life’s issues get so big in your head, there’s no room left for God. The cares of this world literally “choke the word” in your life. Worldly busyness disconnects us from our God.
Our relationship with God is living and breathing. It needs the space to take in oxygen, to receive, to give . . . it needs time and room to prosper.
Therefore, may we put to practice what the Bible says about busyness: that being still before the Lord will cause us to know that God is God; and actively believing God is God will give us the ability to be still.