“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”—Mark 1:35.

Even Jesus needed to get away from the hectic activities of everyday life and spend some quality time with his Father. How can any of us feel that we don’t need the same kind of devotional time?

While attending the North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati earlier this month, I went to a workshop on practicing spiritual disciplines. Over a hundred people gathered together to hear about the importance of Bible study, prayer, meditation, fasting, etc.

During the course of the hour, about a half a dozen cell phones rang. I thought that it was ironic that people who were seeking advice about how to spend quality time with God couldn’t turn off their phones for one hour! Perhaps they were all brain surgeons who were on call, but I doubt it. It’s more likely that many of us find it extremely difficult to unplug ourselves, even for a few minutes, in order to spend time alone with God.

How are you doing in your private worship? What changes might you need to make in order to give your heavenly Father more quality time?