After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. [Matthew 14:23a (NLT)]
It was a busy day for Jesus and the disciples. Having learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded, he went off to be alone but a large crowd followed him. Pitying them, he preached and healed the sick and then managed to feed 5,000. Sad and tired as he probably was, however, Jesus still managed to find time to pray.
We’ve all had those days when we hit the floor running and don’t stop until night. Everywhere we turn there is another task to be done, someone to call, someplace to go, some new crisis, or a deadline lurks. Even though Jesus told us that, apart from Him, we can do nothing, we allow life to interfere. “God knows how busy I am,” we say, “Surely He’ll understand if I skip prayers.” We fully intend to catch Him later, but later turns into tomorrow or the next day or never. God knows how busy we are but I’m not so sure he approves of our priorities.
If we needed dialysis to survive, we’d never be too busy for our treatment. If we needed an oxygen tank to breathe, we’d take the time to make sure we had a fresh supply. If we were diabetic, we’d surely find the time for our daily medication. If we’re not too busy to save our physical lives, how can we be too busy to save our souls? God’s got a busy day ahead, but He’s never too busy to hear our prayers. How can we be too busy for Him?
Devotions of the Heart 