Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place - Mark 1:35-39

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
35 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. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Reflection:

It is no accident that this short story is placed exactly where it is in chapter 1. Why? Because we see Jesus has been about preaching the Good News that the kingdom is at hand. He has healed all of the people's various demons and diseases by taking authority over them. And now what does he do? He gets away to a quiet place. He takes time out of the grind of ministry to be with the Father. And what reaction does he get? Simon Peter and the disciples couldn't find him and when they do they say to Jesus, "everybody is looking for you!"

Of course everyone was looking for Jesus, after all the works He had done. But Jesus knew the work was not sustainable without abiding in the Father's love and care, and then listening to Him as to what to do next. So often we get so caught up in the work of ministry, we forget to take time to be with the One who fuels our ministry. And then we wonder why we are out of gas. If we are followers of Jesus, we not only need to follow the way he does ministry but also the way he does rest. We need to model how everything He does comes out of a deep, abiding relationship with His Father in heaven.

And we see the result of this is that the Father directs him to go somewhere else. To the nearby villages in Galilee. If it were up to the people he could have stayed there three years and probably not met all the needs of the people. So God calls him to another village to bring in the Good News of the kingdom because his time was limited.

So the obvious question for today is: is your deep, abiding relationship with Father fueling your ministry? Or are you ruled by the principle of everybody is looking for you. And this I think applies to not just pastors and leaders but any leader of any organization. We all need time to get back to our center, which for Christians is Jesus. The apostle Paul's letters are always marked with the phrase, "In Christ". Paul had a tremendously fruitful and effective life as a missionary and church planter and it was all fueled by his consciously being "in Christ" and led by the Spirit.

My hope is that the Daily Bread is a place for your to re-calibrate your spiritual life and relationship with the Father through Jesus. Let us make time and room to go to the solitary place early and often. Amen.

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