An invitation for some quiet time.

Reflecting on Luke 5:12-16

"Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

I want to sit with these words for a time.
Christians would not accuse Jesus of wasting His time.
But was this the best use of His time?
Could He not pray and work at the same time?
How would a church respond to their pastor doing this?
How would a husband or wife respond to their spouse doing this?
Why do we not prioritize often spending time alone for prayer?

We see this as very holy and important thing for Jesus to do.
But how many Jesus followers see this as holy and important for them?
Maybe this is especially an issue for western Christians?
We are driven by the clock, driven by efficiency and productivity.
Praying time does not seem to be productive time.

Is this focus on prayer especially important for leaders?
Should the average ordinary Jesus follower pray often like this?
I do not want to turn this into a morality lesson – ‘you should do this!’
Rather I want to reflect on the reasons for not even feeling the need for it.
I once saw a book title: ‘Too busy not to pray’.
This may be a reference to a quote by Martin Luther:

“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” (Martin Luther)

The idea seems to be that the busier we are, the more we need to pray.
The pressures and dangers of busyness put us at greater risk.
Greater risk of physical ailments, or spiritual attacks, or temptation?
Greater risk of self-confidence, self-reliance, self-righteousness?
Greater risk of losing our way, character lapses, burnout or crashing.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus has not called us to a more stressful, intense way of living.
He has called us into a gentle, humble and restful way of living.
This does not mean doing less, but it does mean stressing less.
It does mean letting go of results, and the pressure to perform.
It does mean walking one step at a time, and not running like crazy.
If our walk with Jesus does not include alone time for prayer, is it healthy?
Are we really accomplishing more when we are running ahead of Jesus?

Once again, this is not my way of making me or others feel guilty.
This is an invitation to wonder about my own sense of peace in Jesus.
It is also an invitation to slow down and spend time with God and Jesus.
Why wouldn’t I set aside even a half hour just to be alone with God?
I seem to be perfectly fine spending time in other things, like…
Watching TV, reading a book, working on this hobby or that project.

One thing I suspect is that many wouldn’t know how to pray like this.
We’re so focused on doing, we don’t know how to slow down and just be.
As a Jesus follower, I want to know how to experience prayer like this.
I’m not there yet, but Jesus’ invitation is compelling me.
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)
Today I choose to block out a quiet time alone with God, and to pray.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, by Your example You are inviting me to often withdraw with You for some alone time with God. I choose to accept Your invitation, not to ignore it. May my time today be beneficial to my body, soul, mind and spirit.