Most of us have crazy demands put on our time. Full time jobs. Kids. Our activities. Our kids' activities. Family obligations. Full time jobs that interrupt our activities, our kids' activities and family obligations. Most of you know how it goes.
Imagine what it might have been like to be Jesus. Our understanding is so small of what it might have been like, but here you are, God in human flesh, with all the power, wisdom and love in the world, and a world full of broken, lost and hurting people. Where do you start?
I'm sure that Jesus was often pressed by feelings of the tyranny of the urgent.
As we head into Mark's Gospel today in our daily reading plan, we see in Mark 1 that in fact Jesus was faced with urgency in his life. V.v. 35-37 tell us, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: 'Everyone is looking for you!'"
Everyone is looking for you!
You've probably felt like that before. If you have kids that are dependent on you for care, you know that sneaking into the bathroom for 5 minutes of solitude; laying down for a quick nap; or sitting down to pray or read God's Word is often interrupted by the tyranny of the urgent. Somebody needs a drink. Somebody wants to watch a different show. Somebody wants your full attention. NOW! Somebody, or sometimes everybody, is looking for you.
You see, nothing caught Jesus by surprise. He knew that there were times when "everybody" would be looking for Him. He knew that there were times when life would be busy and chaotic and lived at breakneck speed. He knew that there would be early mornings and late nights of teaching, healing and traveling.
This is life. It happens to all of us.
But Jesus also knew that the rhythm of urgency in his life had to take a back seat to the most urgent thing He had to do. And that was to get alone in a solitary place and pray. When we know that life is going to demand urgency and energy, we must learn from Jesus, and realize that the most urgent thing that we can do is to get alone with God - in His Word and in prayer.
My friend Steve Smith, who is also the most important mentor I've ever had in ministry, wrote a book a few years ago called The Jesus Life. In it, he talks much about the rhythm of Jesus' life. Part of that rhythm were times of high demand ministry. But a part of that rhythm was also spending time alone in solitude, preparing for the times of urgency when He was needed. It's a great read for anybody who feels stressed out and burned out by the Christian life.
For most of us, the urgency of life - jobs, kids and activities - isn't going away anytime soon. But we must look at Jesus and the rhythm that He established in His own life. For the most part, we don't know specifically what Jesus prayed about, although John's Gospel does give us some insight into the prayer life of Jesus. In it, we see that Jesus prayed often and intently for the glory of the Father to be revealed in his own life and ministry and in the lives of those who followed Him.
I think that one of the most urgent things we can do is to pray for the same things in our lives. Before our day begins, or after it has finished and we begin to think about the next day's demands and activities, take some time to pray for the glory of God to be revealed in your life. As you meet the demands of life, think of those demands and activities not just as things to do, but as opportunities for you to be a vessel of God's glory in the world.
Jesus did this. We need to as well. If we fail to do it, we're essentially believing the lie that we're stronger than Jesus and that we're more capable on our own than we are without God at work in the daily-ness of life. Make being alone with God - in His Word and in prayer - be the most urgent thing you do every day.
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