May the mumbling commence!
Find time to pray and connect with God. Yes, it is an imperative for you and me. Jesus found the time. So should we. Read from Mark chapter one:
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. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Verses 35-39)
This early morning prayer was proceeded by a late night of healing many people. Jesus had to be exhausted. I would have given myself the luxury of sleeping in after a hard night’s work. The people had only come after sundown – when the Sabbath was officially over.
In the midst of the cacophony of success, Jesus knew he would have trouble hearing the Word of God. So, he got up in the wee hours of the morning and prayed. Jesus listened and learned his marching orders, and he was ready to carry them out.
"Everyone is looking for you!" Talk about pressure! Jesus could do much good in devoting his time solely to healing. But the message would be lost, and the true healing would never happen. Jesus was only healing skin-deep problems. There was a greater sickness that needed to be healed – the healing that all the other healings were supposed to point to.
What is that message? Read from earlier in Mark chapter one:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Verses 14-15)
Here is the message, and it is good news: the time of the kingdom of God is at hand. That news, in and of itself, was not necessarily good. God’s kingdom coming would mean judgment. It terrified the people. They had heard what the prophets from old had said: “Who can stand in that day?”
What is the good news? The good news is that the road to repentance is open and available for those who choose to take it. We need to believe that good news and act upon it. Repentance means deep change – attitudinal and perceptional.
The time has come. And the time is God’s time. The kingdom is God’s kingdom. It is not mine. It is not yours. This precious moment in time belongs to God.
May we open our eyes to Your will. May we listen attentively in prayer. May we believe and act in total obedience. May we serve God without losing sight of the only good message.
God is near. God offers us mercy and grace and love. Let us turn and accept Him.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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