The other day, I overslept. And before I had my first cup of coffee, the phone started ringing, my inbox was chiming and I was frazzled.
The day had started before I was ready for it and I spent the afternoon in a frantic race to catch up. Nothing was done particularly well and important tasks were pushed to the side for what was most pressing.
Ever been there?
For those of us who have, Mark 1:35-38 shows us a better way to start the day:
“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. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 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 out.” (ESV)
Everyone wanted something from Jesus.
Some asked for healing or a chance to question Him, while the disciples wanted His fellowship… but no matter what the request, everyone had one!
And while Jesus did take on the form of a servant, He knew He wasn’t sent here to simply cater to the whims of the crowd. He had been sent on mission from God—to accomplish specific works, planned in advance for Him to do.
So before the demands of the day came knocking, literally, on His door, He escaped to a hidden place to pray.
This time alone with His Heavenly Father enabled Jesus to filter the many demands on his time through the sieve of God’s purpose for His life.
Look at verses 36 to 38. When the disciples eventually tracked Him down with a list of people who needed Him, Jesus did not rearrange the day’s schedule to fit it all in. In fact, He said no to those local needs and opted to go preach in other nearby towns. Why? Because that’s what He came for.
Jesus knew His purpose because He spent time with the One who crafted it.
Can the same be said of us?
God already has a calendar filled out for each of our lives—and today’s date has something specific penciled in.
But if we don’t get alone with God, we’ll spend the day following someone else’s agenda… and completely miss the eternal work God has for us to do.
So let me ask you this:
Is your to-do list built around the purposes of God or the demands of other voices?
If you’re like me, sometimes the busyness of the day drowns out the quiet whisper of God’s voice… So how could you prioritize morning conversations with your Heavenly Father this week?
If we make time to simply be in His presence and seek His heart, we will live with fresh purpose as we transcribe God’s agenda into our calendars.