I’m busy.  You’re busy.  From the time we get out of bed until we lay our heads on our pillows at night, we rush from place to place, person to person, and task to task.  For many of us, few breaks for renewal exist in our days.

Jesus lived a fast-paced life as well.  As the “report of his power spread…vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases” (Luke 5:15).  People tried to follow him everywhere.

Nonetheless, “Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness to pray” (Luke 5:16).

If the Son of God, God Himself, withdrew to the lonely places to pray and spend time with his Father in heaven, how much more should we do the same! Without such times building intimacy with the Father, we end up living life in our own strength.  Our strength runs out, and we burn out.

I’m reminded of the words in Isaiah 40:31, “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength….”

Let’s take time to go through withdrawal from our addiction to work and busyness.