Withdraw and Pray

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Luke 5:16

When Jesus was at his busiest he still took the time to pray, in fact, sometimes it seemed the more demands that lay at his feet the more devoted he was to separating himself for prayer.  As I sit here facing another school cancellation, thinking of the demands that lay ahead with having my children home all day, I could easily try and get a head start on all the things I need to do.  I could skip my quiet time and get started on all that laundry, I could sleep in since no one needs to wake up, or I could plan a fun filled day in the snow or maybe cook a big breakfast.  These are all things that are important but should any of them take the place of my prayer time?  If Jesus, who was God, still took time to pray even when he had thousands of people in line waiting to be healed, I can keep my prayer life even when my kids are home demanding food and fun, and so can you.  God is our reason for existence and the source of our strength in daily living, not to mention the amazing power that sustains us when things are going bad in our life.  If we give up our prayer time we miss out on that amazing power and peace.  Jesus knew the importance of talking to God and renewing his strength before big days and big tasks.  We too can understand how important it is to keep a consistent quiet time with God even when things around us are busy and demanding.  My prayer for you, my friends, is that you have time for God today.  Separate yourself from the things around you and go off into the "wilderness" and pray.