We often become so wrapped up in our own concerns that we become insensitive to those around us who are hurting. Are we so busy that we don't have time to minister to others?
All of us have been guilty at one time or another of allowing our agendas to take first place in our lives. When I am tempted to place my priorities above God's priorities, a scripture instilled in me by my parents rings in my ear.
Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." When I don't have enough time to accomplish all that needs to be done, I say, "Lord, I'm going to place Your things first, and I expect You to show me how to redeem my time."
Let me relate a recent incident that proves God will take care of us if we will take care of His assignments.
My friend Lanell and I were planning to go to Dallas, Texas, on a business trip. We had budgeted every minute of our trip, knowing that good time management was necessary for us to accomplish all that needed to be accomplished.
The day we were to leave for the trip, a member of RHEMA Bible Church was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident in the Ft. Worth, Texas, area. She was admitted to the hospital in a very serious condition.
My husband said to me as we were leaving, "Please try to go by the hospital and pray for our church member." Of course, I desired to do that, but I thought, Lord, how am I going to get everything done that must be done and go to the hospital as well? Besides, Lord, I am going to Dallas, not Ft. Worth.
Then I thought about my priorities, remembering that my first assignment from God is to care for people. So I said, "Lord, please show me how to manage my time so that I can accomplish everything." I left the matter in His hands and began to schedule my day with His help.
We planned to leave Dallas in the late afternoon, then drive to Ft. Worth. In the natural, that did not seem like a good idea since the traffic is normally very heavy during that time. But that seemed to be the schedule the Lord was directing us to follow.
After accomplishing what we needed to do in Dallas, Lanell and I set out for Ft. Worth with a map that her husband, Bill, had drawn for us. We prayed before we left, knowing that the Lord would have to direct our path because neither one of us can interpret maps accurately!
As we drove toward Ft. Worth, we were amazed at how light the traffic was at five in the afternoon. We arrived in Ft. Worth without incident, but suddenly our map instructions ended and we were not at our destination.
Knowing that time was slipping away, I happened to notice that our rental car was equipped with a global positioning system. The GPS device was labeled with the slogan "Never lost." Lanell and I discovered it at the same time and laughed, thinking, Well, it might not be lost, but we are!
I am not good with computers, and I had no idea how to operate the system. I knew that Lanell had less knowledge about computers than I did! So once again I prayed and said, "Lord, this machine says it is never lost, so help me to operate it."
I began to push buttons. I pushed them time after time, trying to find the right combination to obtain the information we needed. Suddenly, the right information appeared, and we were on our way to the hospital.
Once we arrived at the hospital, we wondered how we were going to find our church member's room in such a large hospital. Again, we prayed and asked the Lord to direct us to the right wing of the hospital. We walked into a lobby, and her husband was standing right there!
My mouth dropped open, because I did not think he knew we were coming to visit. The first words out of my mouth were, "Did you know we were coming?" He said, "No, but something on the inside said, 'Go to the lobby.'" Thank the Lord for the Holy Ghost who will lead and direct us if we'll but ask!
Needless to say, the lady rejoiced that we came to visit and pray for her. And I was ecstatic that the Lord had done exactly as we had asked, directing our steps and enabling us to accomplish all that we had set out to do. It once again confirmed to me that if we will put God's priorities first, He will take care of us and our every need!
Kenneth Hagin Ministries.