Too busy to Pray?

Do you ever have a day when you feel like you are just too busy to spend time with the Lord? I do...often! Take today, for instance. My husband was up before dawn to catch a train to another city to help one of our church staff members who just had surgery there. My schedule for the day included filling in at the church office all day, a counseling appointment, and a wedding rehearsal in the evening. It was one of those mornings when I knew I was going to be juggling all kinds of things. And in times past, I would have thought I was way too busy to take the time to read my Bible and pray. But do you know what I have learned? It is precisely those days when I most need to spend time with God! I can't afford NOT to!


In Mark chapter 1, there is a story about Jesus that really spoke to me about this. Beginning in verse 21, Jesus was having a very busy day. He preached and taught in the synagogue, healed a man with an unclean spirit, and even when He went to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew where He was spending the night, He healed the sick mother-in-law of Simon Peter. I love verses 32 and 33 - "and at evening when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door." Do you ever feel like the whole city is gathered at your door - like everyone wants a piece of you?


So how did Jesus manage to handle all these demands, this busy life and pressure? The answer is in verse 35: "and in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out and departed unto a solitary place, and there prayed." Jesus set the example. If He, being the Son of God, needed to step back and spend time alone with his Heavenly Father, how much more do we, being the weak human beings that we are! When we approach a busy day without taking time for God, it is like we are saying "I don't need you today, God. I can handle it!" And we proceed to do just that - and fail miserably!


So, my dear friend, the next time you are tempted to skip the Bible reading and prayer because you are too busy, make a different choice. That is where we find our strength, our peace, and our joy.


With a joyful heart,
Kathi