By Guest Writer, Angela Terry
Luke 5:16 — “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Recently I was listening to Slow Down by Josiah Queen, a young Christian artist’s new song. The song struck me deeply: It exposed how quickly I hurry through life.
Think for a moment about Jesus of Nazareth. Reports spread that He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, even raised the dead. He preached the Kingdom of God with authority and fresh light. Some wondered if He was a prophet, a great teacher, or even the long-awaited Messiah.
Imagine Him entering your town. Crowds gather and everyone is vying for His attention. A man with leprosy kneels before Him, and with a touch, Jesus makes him clean. The search to see Him is desperate. His ministry is speeding up. Everyone wants to see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears who this Jesus of Nazareth is. Then, Luke tells us this:
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Right in the middle of the miracles—between healing a leper and restoring a paralytic lowered through a roof—Luke notes how Jesus steps away. Though the pace of ministry accelerates, Jesus slows down and remains unhurried. Crowds are pressing, needs are urgent, yet Jesus withdraws to be with the Father.
We may not be healing lepers or paralytics, but our lives are also full: We have endless tasks, constant responsibilities, and people depending on us. Our schedules will never slow down, but Jesus did. If He knew the importance of pausing to pray and sit in silence, how much more should we? It is in stillness before God that we remember who He is, what He has done, who we are, and how we should see others.
Slowing down is a sacrifice, but if we don’t, it will lead to a disordered, anxious way of living. We weren’t made to run at the frantic pace of constant doing and consuming.
As Josiah Queen sings in Slow Down:
“All those things you do for Me are good and sweet, but slow down, please. All those things will always be, but sit right here: Come and see. There’s not a better place to go, to rest your heart and weary soul than at My feet.”
So, dear friends—slow down. Breathe. Don’t miss the God who is with you in this very moment.
