A typical day as an adult involves hectic schedules, exhausting to-do lists, and stress. Perhaps you wake up before the sun to exercise before the chaos begins. You wake the kids, help them get ready, make their breakfasts and lunches, and make sure they have what they need before dropping them off at school.
You rush to work where twenty new emails await and a new stack of papers are on your desk. You still have projects from yesterday to finish, too! While you’re working on all these things, your boss stops by to ask a “small favor” of you that will actually require a lot of time and energy.
You barely notice the time. You must rush to pick up one child from the elementary school at one time and the other from the middle school only five minutes later and somehow manage to get them changed around and on their way to ballet practice and soccer practice at opposite sides of town.
Let’s not even get started on the nightly routines and chores that are looming on your mind for when you finally make it home for the evening. Devotionals? Prayer? You simply do not have the time and energy. Surely God understands. Is this the way Jesus lived, though?
Jesus was Short on Time, too
We know that God sent His Son not only to die for our sins, but also to become like us – fully human. Learning about Jesus and how He lived a human life helps guide us on how we should live our own.
Although He is our king, he did not live like royalty. He was always on the move. He had a passion for being with His people and teaching them. The first chapter of Mark illustrates a typical day in the life of Jesus.
- Jesus preached in the synagogue (Verse 21).
- Jesus healed a man possessed by an evil spirit (Verses 23-24).
- Jesus went to Simon’s house where he instantly cured Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever simply by touching her (Verses 29-31).
- Once word got out, masses of people from all over the city came for His healing power. He cured many sick and drove out many demons (Verses 32-34).
I don’t know about you, but I do not accomplish that much in a given day. That sounds very tiring. Yet He was up before dawn the next morning so that He could spend time in peace talking to God. Jesus made solitary time for talking with God often. (Luke 5:16). Jesus is modeling for us that no matter how busy our day is, we must still make time for God.
Jesus Needed Time with God, too
After it sinks in just how busy Jesus was, shift your attention to who He was. Jesus was fully man and fully God at the same time. Unlike us, He was sinless. Despite His perfect nature, He still needed that daily communication with God. We are blessed to worship a God who sent His Son to be in our form, go through our trials, experience our emotions.
We are like Jesus in many ways, but not one of us is sinless like He was. You could say that we need that communication with God even more. We have sins to confess. We have struggles and unknowns. We have praises for He saves us even when we don’t deserve it.
God Yearns for Time with Us, Too
The Bible tells us, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, New King James version). A common question is, “Why? If He already knows what’s on my heart, why do I need to ask?” God actually commands us to pray at numerous points in the bible. (A few examples include the following: Jeremiah 33:3, Philippians 4:6, Luke 18:1.)
In addition to obedience to God’s commands, we also pray to uphold a personal relationship with Him. He did not create us as puppets for His control. He granted us free will. He desires an intimate relationship in which we turn to Him and ask for his participation in our lives.
You Don’t Have to be a Poet
One of my favorite parts of worshipping in a church is hearing the prayers. Leaders in the service can speak so eloquently. But the truth of the matter is, you don’t have to be verbose or even grammatically correct to talk with God. He already knows what’s on your heart. He just wants you to come to Him and speak the words yourself.
Pray This Prayer
Father,
You have granted us free will. I pray, though, that you continue knocking on my heart. I want to be consumed by You, not worldly things that are here today and gone tomorrow.
Help me to uphold my responsibilities, but not to get so distracted by schedules, routines, and chores that I neglect to take time for You. You have given us everything – including Your own Son! You deserve my focus and attention.
Praise be to you, God! Amen
Readings
Matthew 6:5-15
Matthew 26:41
Galatians 5:13
Hebrews 4:15-16