Have you ever been so busy that you are too busy to talk with the Lord?  I know I have!  The funny thing about that is that I was busy serving Him yet, I had so many people coming and going that I did not have a chance to even to speak with Him alone.  Life has so many demands doesn't it?
From the time we wake up, until we lie our head down at night there always seems that there is something that needs to be done.  The clothes need to be washed, the laundry needs to be folded and ironed.  The house needs to be cleaned, the dishes need to be washed and put away.  There are meals to prepare and kids that need to be tended to.  There are probably hundreds of daily chores and responsiblities that require our attention and then we go to work.  Work has it's demands and if your work is like mine it is so stressful that when you get home you do just what you have to and want to crash and relax! 

Many of us are involved in church and that keeps us busy in and of itself!  I heard this funny little quote and it is so true!:  "Mary had a little lamb, she thought she was a sheep.  She joined a local church and died of lack of sleep!"  There are so many projects that need to be done at church and it seems as if there is not always enough help to carry on the project, so we take on more and we do more and more and more and more.  Eventually, if we are not careful, we will burn out or give out.  There is an old saying that goes like this:  "If your out go is more than your in take your up keep will be your down fall."  Just like the Apostles when they gathered around Jesus to tell Him all they had done they kept being interrupted by people!  How many times have you sat down to read the Bible or to pray only to be interrupted by a phone call, and knock at the door, or a call for "Momma or Daddy?"  This is life and we must remember that if we try to serve God in our own strength we will eventually tire and weaken  under the load that we bear.

This is why it is imperative to spend time alone with the Lord. Here we see that the Apostles had to get away to a solitary place where they could not be interrupted.  That way they could eat, relax and spend time with Jesus catching up on everything.  Every day has enough trouble of it's own, but we must find time and a quiet place to just sit at the feet of Jesus and worship Him.  We need to receive from Him and listen for what He has to say.  Without your personal one on one time with the Savior your relationship and fellowship with Him will suffer as well as your daily life.  Spending time alone with the Lord may not seem all that profitable at first, but over time you will begin to see the benefit of it.  It will give you perspective on the events in your life.  It will give you time to prepare spiritually and mentally for the day ahead.  It will lower your stress levels as you cast your cares upon Him.  The Lord will give you insight on what to do each day and how to handle certain problems and issues that go on around you.  You will get to know His voice and how He speaks to you.  You will develop that personal relationship that you hear so much about and will find that Jesus is as real as anything or anyone else in this world!

So how do you do that?  How do you steal a few moments away?  For some us we may have to be creative.  I have an hour commute every day to work, so it is easy for me.  I turn off the radio and hope the phone doesn't ring and I talk things over with the Lord and lift up my friends and such in prayer.  Sometimes I will drive 20-30 minutes and just be quiet allowing the LORD to speak to my spirit.  Maybe, you don't have a long drive to work, maybe it is a short drive?  Well, leave early and sit in your car or go for a walk in the cool of the day like Adam and talk with the LORD.  When you are at the gym on the treadmill instead of wearing the headphones concentrate on Him.  Maybe you will have to get up earlier or go to bed later to try to find some time during the day.  The point is that we all have 24 hours in a day.  We spend our time doing that which is most important to us.  Spending time with Jesus is the most important thing that we can do each day.  Even if it is for 5 minutes it is better the zero minutes.  Don't allow the business of life get in the way of you spending time with your best friend in the whole world - Jesus!  Find a solitary place alone with the Lord you will be glad you did!