November 9th, 2026
Today's Scripture: Luke 5:15–16
15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
One of the things I love about Luke's Gospel is how frequently he draws our attention to Jesus praying.
And I find the timing of those moments interesting.
In Luke 5, Jesus' ministry is growing. People are hearing about Him. Crowds are gathering to listen and to be healed.
There's work to be done. Good work. Important work.
And yet Luke tells us Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
He made room to be with the Father.
I wonder how often we convince ourselves that we're too busy to spend intentional time with God because we're busy doing good things.
The reality is, there will always be something that needs our attention. A responsibility. A conversation. Something at work or home. Something at church.
And all of those things can fill our days before we realize what's happened.
Discernment requires time. Relationships require time.
If we're inviting God to shape our understanding, we need to make room for that relationship.
Today
Don't just plan to pray sometime today.
Decide when and where you'll spend time with God. Maybe it's ten minutes before everyone else gets up. Maybe it's during lunch or after the house gets quiet.
Read Luke 5:15–16 again.
Then spend some time with God without rushing to the next thing.
What might need less of your attention so that you can give more of it to God?
And I find the timing of those moments interesting.
In Luke 5, Jesus' ministry is growing. People are hearing about Him. Crowds are gathering to listen and to be healed.
There's work to be done. Good work. Important work.
And yet Luke tells us Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
He made room to be with the Father.
I wonder how often we convince ourselves that we're too busy to spend intentional time with God because we're busy doing good things.
The reality is, there will always be something that needs our attention. A responsibility. A conversation. Something at work or home. Something at church.
And all of those things can fill our days before we realize what's happened.
Discernment requires time. Relationships require time.
If we're inviting God to shape our understanding, we need to make room for that relationship.
Today
Don't just plan to pray sometime today.
Decide when and where you'll spend time with God. Maybe it's ten minutes before everyone else gets up. Maybe it's during lunch or after the house gets quiet.
Read Luke 5:15–16 again.
Then spend some time with God without rushing to the next thing.
What might need less of your attention so that you can give more of it to God?
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