I love this picture from the Bible. Jesus being pressed by people wanting to hear a word from God. Luke 5:1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God,
Eric Liddell was the character the movie, Chariots of Fire, was based on. He was an Olympic Gold Medalist Scotsman who grew up in a missionary family in the field of China. At the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, he refused to run in the heats for the 100 meters because they were held on a Sunday. With a creative alternative, he competed in the 400 meters not held on Sunday. He won that race. In 1925, he returned to China to serve as a missionary. His convictions from the scriptures influenced his decision. He referred to 1 Samuel 2:30 “Those that honor me, I will honor.”
His biography records numerous times people would surround him after a race. They wouldn’t be waiting for an autograph, but to hear what he had to say about God. Regardless of the weather (often it was cold and rainy), people would be pressing around Him to hear him preach the Word of God. Some old photographs show so many people around him, that he is barely seen.
This was the norm for Jesus. He had the words of life and people wanted to hear them. Instead of rebuking people for “not giving him space,” Jesus was delighted to speak to everyone. I’ve found that when you have something life-changing to say, people want to listen. The problem is there are so many “voices” out there to listen to and follow. Many people, even some of your friends, are listening to the latest “fad.” In Paul’s last New Testament letter, 2 Timothy 4:3, he says this, “…they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
When people press in around you, looking for a word from God, give it to them…from the bible. When you have something that will alter a person’s life or circumstances in a substantial way, people listen. They’ll listen to you. Love them by sharing Jesus’ words to them. They’ll never be the same.