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            King David had many difficult, stressful, and fearful moments in his life. On one such occasion he penned these words:  Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest!  I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness”.

            Our environment is considerably different that that which King David was experiencing, but we have no shortage of multiple causes of stress. Stress in the workplace, challenged with meeting goals and obtaining difficult results; relationship stress in the family or workplace; financial stress over looming bills; stress over medical or emotional situations; the list goes on, and yes even stress emanating from the business of the Christmas season!

We know that stress affects our mind, spirit, and body. And in extreme cases it could rightly be called a killer. King David’s prayer for wings apparently was not answered. But I think that he was on the right track when he aspired to go somewhere quiet, peaceful, and away from distractions, a place where he could rest and pray.  Jesus gives us what I believe is a practical example in dealing with stress.

In Mark 1:35(NLT) We read:

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

In Luke 5:16 (NLT) we read:

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

In Matthew 14:23(NLT) we read:

After sending them home, he (Jesus) went up into the hills by himself to pray.

Perhaps many would say “with all the stress in my life right now I really don’t have time to get away to a quiet place and pray”. Perhaps they should say: “with all the stress in my life right now I can’t afford not to take time to get away to a quiet place and pray.

                                                                                                            Pastor Dave