It is very easy for us as believers to fall on our knees and pray when times are tough. But what about when times are good? Can we maintain that need to pray as earnestly in untroubled seasons as we do in times of distress?
Luke, in recording Jesus’ actions, gives us encouragement to do just that in one small verse. “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed” (Luke 5:16 KJV).
The key to understanding this easily overlooked passage is to know that while his fame was spreading, and multitudes were coming to Him, He was going to the Father.
Picture that with me: As His popularity grew and crowds gathered to be with Him, Jesus gathered solely with the Father.
In fact, Luke emphasizes that point even more with the word he chose for ‘withdraw‘, for it is used nowhere else in the New Testament and denotes something in progress. “The multitudes were coming together, but he was engaged in retirement and prayer, so that he was inaccessible” (Vincent).
It would be easy to misunderstand the gathering multitudes as the focused place to stay—after all, they needed ministering to.
However, Jesus stayed focused on being with the Father before being with the popular; He first chose personal worship over personal work—even in the ‘good times.’
Similarly, we cannot let the ‘good times’ prohibit us from our ‘best time’ in prayer; we must not let the blessings that come from Him keep us from being with Him.
