8:00 get to work and start teaching
2:00 get interrupted for an impromptu, contentious meeting
5:00 leave work and head to a friend's for dinner
6:00 get interrupted at dinner with an urgent work email
7:00 urgent work meeting draws you away from your evening
10:00 get home and finally unwind
11:00 head to bed
5:00 (am the next day) get up and find a quiet place to spend time with the Lord
The best part about the passage in Mark isn't that Jesus was just as busy as I am in my everyday life (as comforting as that is). It's that he provides the example for how to navigate life's busyness: making it a priority to spend time with our heavenly Father.
Nearly every Christian would admit to recognizing the importance of quiet time with the Lord. But so often that alone time with God is view under the premise of obligation and duty. In Mark 1:35 we see Jesus drawing away to spend time with the Father because he desires to be in close communion with God - to anchor his soul to the Almighty so he doesn't get swept away by the hectic, busy, frustrating schedule of daily life: "And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went to a desolate place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35)
The word desolate indicates solitary. Jesus withdrew to be alone with the Lord, to talk to God and shore up strength for the day in a private, one-on-one kind of way. When you're faced with life's busyness that Fall so often ushers in, where do you anchor your soul? Consistent, solitary time with the Lord is what Jesus set out as our example to live joyfully and keep a peaceful spirit when it feels as if everyone is looking for us. And it's the only way to find soul rest over the loudness of life. The best part of all of it is that God wants to spend time with us, not because we commit to having consistent devotional time, but just because He loves us.
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