At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 

- Luke 4:42

Even Jesus needed to escape the crowd to meet with His Father.

Everywhere Jesus went, He drew a crowd with overwhelming needs.

People were desperate to be near Him, to hear Him teach and to receive healing.

Even when Jesus did manage to get away, the crowds went looking for Him! The demands were endless! Can you imagine being in this position?

As perfect as Jesus was, He was still human and therefore needed to take time to rest just like we do. He knew he needed to spend time with His Father to recharge.

Do you ever feel like the overwhelming demands of life are constantly finding you? It can be so easy to get stuck on the train of never-ending work, appointments, and meetings.

The way Jesus countered this demand was by making time with His Father a priority.

Even though crowds of people would beg Him to stay, Jesus still chose to seek out time away to be alone with His Father.

In the same way, even when the demands of work and other people are begging you for your attention, choose to prioritize time alone with your Father.

Neglecting this precious time with your Father will eventually catch up to you and you’ll find yourself exhausted. However, when we are faithful in spending time with Him, it enables us to keep going strong and accomplish what we need to get done.

In addition, we become more attuned to His will for our lives and are strengthened by His joy!

If you’ve felt the demands of the crowds of life to be overwhelming you lately, be encouraged today to prioritize time away and be alone with your Father! You will find that you will be refreshed with new strength, peace, joy and clarity!

“Heavenly Father, even when the crowds of life overwhelm me, help me to prioritize time away with you. May this precious time with you never be neglected. I long to meet with you and hear from you, Lord.”

With Love,
Paper Sunday