But [Jesus] often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
Luke 5:16
It's tiring being on the go constantly. It's exhausting when your emotions are poured out continually. It's almost debilitating when your mind will not slow down. Why?
Sleep becomes elusive or nonexistent.
Energy is depleted because no time is available to restore.
Emotions become numbed or just a constant state of irritation.
And we turn into Zombies.
Even when we plan time away....we may plan it, pay for it, and try to take it, but that doesn't not mean others will respect it. Phone rings. Text dings. And your heart sinks another notch. And we wonder why we see so many advertisements for sleep aids (new mattresses you can finance for 5 or more years, pillows that cost a month's salary, endless pills, serums, scents, and sound devices) yet we are still exhausted?
Read today's verse again...slowly. Let the words sink in. Let the truth of the simple message fill your spirit. Even JESUS took time away. And notice the key word: OFTEN!
He didn't go to where all the people were when He withdrew. He didn't fill His time away with a gazillion activities. He didn't go to expensive resorts where He was waited on hand and foot. Jesus withdrew to a place where He could spend time without distraction.
Who are we to live differently?
