Take the Time
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35 ESV)
I’m a big proponent of taking the time to reflect and meditate on the things I’ve seen God do in my life … that is if I have the time. I love to get alone with Him to pray … that is if it is convenient. I love hearing the Holy Spirit speak so clearly in my heart that I can almost hear His words that have been described as a “still, small voice,” provided I can break through the clutter and distractions that “the committee” bombards my thoughts with, even when I try to sleep.
Oh yes … sleep. A good night’s sleep fixes it all, right? To get up early in the morning is sooo hard, when you are sooo tired, and it is sooo easy to justify giving your body what it’s telling you it needs, when the battle between the sheets goes on. Do you get my drift with this? It is hard. But is there something of greater value that makes it worth it? Apparently so, if we look at the importance Jesus placed on getting alone with His PAPA, even if it meant rising before light and going to a desolate place to be alone with Him. If you will read the verses that preceded the one I’ve referenced one can get a good idea of the activity level Jesus had before this early morning. The day before He confronted a demon and cast it out in a synagogue in Capernaum. He then went to Peter’s house, which was only a city block away from the synagogue, and healed Peter’s mother-in-law who had a fever. That evening many people were brought to Peter’s house with demons, various diseases and other issues to be healed, and Jesus selflessly gave Himself to these people and their needs.
Can you see from this busy, hectic schedule with what the "man" Jesus was dealing with and how He was being bombarded with both the opportunities and the needs of the people? Can you imagine the emotional, power-draining toll that was going on in Him? Remember, He had to fight through all of these things not as God, even though He is God, but as a man. When Jesus became a man, He had to do all the things He did as a man who depended on the power of God just as you and I must, even though He was God before He came. He said it many times in scripture that He does only what the Father is doing and saying. He needed to hear from the Father just as we must do so to do the same. But Jesus heard His Father better, and saw things better, and did things better than anyone, for He made Himself available to God, such as with this particular instance. There are many more times such as this that would follow. Why did He do this?
We can now answer the question with why a tired man, needing sleep from an exhausting day would rise before dawn to get away from the crowds to pray. He needed it to keep going on His mission. He needed it to keep His focus. He needed it to feel and be assured of His Father’s love. He needed to hear the Father’s words that gave Him direction. He needed the power replenishment that it gave Him. He needed it just like you and I need it. The difference is, He knew His need was so great that the inconvenience, lack of sleep, and all the other reasons we use to excuse ourselves from getting alone with PAPA would not keep Him away from having His need met. He made it a priority.
Question: Is there anything more important going on in our life that would keep us away from the greatest opportunity for meeting the greatest needs in our life? We can be assured that God is waiting for us, if we are willing to pay the price and not allow inconvenience to be our excuse. Our life cannot afford to be without this time with PAPA. It is just too important.