“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35 ESV)
Mark doesn’t pull any punches. By the middle of the first chapter, we come face to face with the enormity of Jesus’ popularity and the hoards of people pressing into Him. Jesus’ immediate response to the pressures of public preaching is to pull away to regain perspective.
I’m learning from His example.
This book I have been reading, Women Rowing North, is written for sixty and seventy year olds. I probably have no business consuming it, but I can’t hardly put it down. Mary Pipher writes about life from the unique vantage point of her later years. When I read her words, I feel as though I am sitting with an older, wiser version of myself, someone who has had the time to survey and make sense of her story. There’s a whole lot of life wisdom in her book but if I could summarize the twenty chapters into a few words it would be “Slow down. Pay attention.”
Which brings me back to Jesus. In the full-court press of ministry, He fought for alone time. He somehow understood He would be utterly unequipped for the deluge of daily needs if He didn’t prioritize time with the Father first. Jesus knew what Mary knows; this life is fast and fleeting. We’ve got to make sure we are paying attention to what is most crucial; the Father’s agenda for our adventure. And what is urgent is not necessarily important. We require Kingdom perspective on these fast-paced lives. It is essential that we get away and slow down, so we can see what matters most.
“And He said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came.” (Mark 1:38 ESV)
Jesus’ time-out produced a change in direction. He would not have heard the Father’s whispered directive if He hadn’t paid attention. He could have easily stayed in Capernaum. He was quite busy, preoccupied with the myriad of needs there. He could have felt quite good about his contribution to humanity and missed His purpose altogether.
It is only in the slowing that we get good at hearing. It is when we still our soul where we hear the Lord the loudest, when we are most sure of His instruction. It’s when we are frantic that we can’t hardly hear.
Lord, help us today to slow down and pay attention to You. Otherwise, we may well exhaust ourselves on all the wrong things. May our desire be loyal to Your agenda above all else. May we make room to meet with You and respond to Your instruction today. Amen.