^“…the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.  But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” – Luke 5:15-16

Have you ever thought about what Jesus’ daily life was like?  One day He is a manual laborer, and the next He is a superstar.  At the height of His ministry, He really couldn’t go anywhere without crowds following Him, yelling for Him, and grabbing His clothes.  Imagine what that was like.  Do you think He ever got a day off?  

I have this ridiculous picture in my mind of some brazen sick person popping his head up from underwater just as Jesus steps into the river trying to take a bath.  He yells at Him, “Hey Jesus, man just one touch is all I need!”  At this point I would be yelling “Stalker!”  But I bet Jesus just smiled and healed him so He could get on with His business.  (and then probably had his personal bodyguard, Peter, “handle” the issue from there.)

The point is, I think I am pretty busy.  I run all day long, every day.  But in retrospect, there is no way my life is as crazy as my Saviors.  It makes feel kind of self-centered when I think of all the times I think I am too busy to pray.  Jesus made prayer a priority every day.  And He made a space for it too.  He left the crowds and the noise, just to have a little peace and to be able to hear what the Father was saying to Him.

I must admit, His way makes a lot of sense.  As near as I can tell, even with taking the prayer breaks and all, He was much more productive in His days than I am in mine.  

Friends, we have a great opportunity at Liberty Crossings tomorrow.  We will open the doors at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and leave them open until 8:00 p.m.  During this time, the church will be a designated “Quiet Space,” open for anyone seeking a place for solitude, prayer and worship.

The name of the event is “True Sabbath,” and you can come to spend an hour or the whole day.  We have guided prayer spaces available as well as spaces open for you to just sit and rest in His presence.  I hope you will consider the blessing that would come to you as part of this experience.  And I hope you will make time to leave the world behind, for just a little while, to be renewed.

Gracious Lord,

Praise to You, for You are always waiting patiently for me whenever I find the time to pay attention to You.  Help me, Lord, to be intentional about my time with You.  Help me to make You a priority over all other “important matters.”  I pray that You will miraculously open up a window of time for me tomorrow; that I will be compelled to seek Your face alone.  Please remove any obstacles from my path, and help me find my way to You.  I trust in faith, that when I show up, so will You.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen