But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. – Luke 5:16
Almost from the moment His earthly ministry began, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd. In an age when the best form of communication was word-of-mouth, Jesus’ fame preceded Him wherever he went and by the time He arrived at His destination, a multitude was usually waiting. Imagine what the Messiah’s life would have been like in the age of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!
One thing is certain, Jesus didn’t learn to pray after He went public. Before a single drop of water became wine, the Son already knew the value of personal communication with His Father and never saw His conversation with “Dad” as a nuisance or duty. As the passage above states, Jesus “would often slip away.”
Many of us claim to be busy, yet studies reveal rather anemic prayer lives among even the most prominent spiritual leaders. Why is it so difficult for us to be alone with the Creator? Perhaps, we lack the personal intimacy with God that we so easily proscribe to others. Or maybe we prefer to “social distance” from the One who knows us “oh too well.”
I am thinking that this might just be a good time to “slip away.”
If man is man and God is God, to live without prayer is not merely an awful thing; it is an infinitely foolish thing. – Phillip Brooks
