An midterm, a paper, two quizzes, hundreds of pages of reading, and other assignments were coming up, along with friends who needed attention. There was shopping to be done, meals to be made, and house cleaning to do! How can I possibly have time for my relationship with God? These thoughts haunted me during my second month of graduate school. It’s okay, I told myself. God’s doing something.
I grabbed my Bible and flipped to Psalm 1. In it, the psalmist writes about delighting in God’s law and meditating on it “day and night” (Psalm 1:2). The author of the psalm was referring to the Torah (the first five books of Scripture), but today we have the entire Bible to meditate on. He went on to explain that those who do so “are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:3). But how can meditating on Scripture help me finish my “to do” list?
In reading God’s Word, we find instruction and stories that remind us that God is in control. No matter what’s going on in our lives or how pressing the deadline is, if something doesn’t get done, God’s in control. He’s still King, and He’s greater than whatever we’re facing. As the psalmist writes, “The Lord watches over the path of the godly” (Psalm 1:6). He’s there in the midst of the busy days and challenges we face.
If God is watching over our every step, He’s powerful enough to take care of us in any situation. There’s no need for us to endlessly worry about anything. We might miss a deadline or have to postpone house cleaning, but God is still God. Our quiet moments with Him can remind us of His presence with us, even during our busiest times.