Time Out — A LifeWords Devotion

Then, in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a deserted place, and there he prayed. Simon and his companions went in search of him, and when they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

“Then we will go somewhere else, to the neighbouring towns,” he replied, “so that I may give my message there too—that is why I have come.” (JBP)

We need to use our imaginations a bit to grasp what is going on here. It is early morning and crowds are already flocking to where Jesus is staying. They have great needs and he can presumably meet those needs.

So what does Jesus do? He more or less sneaks out of his accommodation and goes off to pray in a quiet place, thus turning his back on the clamouring crowds. Knowing Jesus, he is not dismissive of the crowd, but he can’t do everything for everyone. More people need to hear his message and experience his power.

Above all, he needs to maintain his relationship with his Father. He realises that unless that is right nothing else is right. For him, and presumably for us, it is right to turn our backs on some urgent requests for help in order to seek the mind and heart of God.

It is easy to simply give in to the loud and insistent demands to do this or that. Much harder to take time out to figure out just what does really need to be done and to get the resources to do it. This is no excuse for lazy or selfish withdrawal. Rather it is a recognition that to do God’s work we need God’s grace and power.

Blessings
David