Dependence

This week we are going to use our devotionals to go through a different one of our values or cultures each day, and to spend time thinking and meditating on what it looks like for us to live these out even in lockdown, in this unique time that we’re living through.

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Pause:

Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus. 

Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
 
Read:

Mark 1v35-39: “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. ³⁶ And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, ³⁷ and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” ³⁸ And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” ³⁹ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”
 
 Going Deeper:

The Gospel of Mark is a fast-paced, condensed, punchy biography of Jesus’ life and ministry. And it starts off at pace.

The word “immediately” occurs again and again in this chapter, linking one scene to the next and to the next. Jesus is Baptised. Jesus is lead by the Spirit into the Desert to be tempted. Straight away, Jesus comes back in the power of the Spirit and begins His ministry. He starts preaching, calls a group of men to follow Him as His disciples, heals the sick, casts out demons, and seems to be crowded by people and requests for his time, teaching, healing and help.

If I was Jesus, I know exactly what I would do at the end of that long day, and after a long stretch of busy days. I’d switch off my phone and not set an alarm. I’d clear my calendar to get some rest, and I’d tell my disciples that I’m taking some time off because sleep and self-care are so important, and I need to recharge my batteries. 

What would you do?

Jesus’ priorities are different, and here He shows us what we really need when we are tired and drained. 

We need to be with our Father in Heaven and we need to pray. But by pray, I don’t mean to just ‘throw up’ a few quick prayers, read a verse, and hit the road. No! We need to be in God’s presence, make time to wait on Him, seek His face, hear what He is saying, let Him set our priorities, ask Him to refresh and empower us. And only then should we go on with what we need to do.

So, still physically tired from the last few days or weeks, Jesus sets his alarm and wakes up early, while it is still dark (which is bad news for those of us who like sleeping in everyday). And He gets as far away from everyone as He can, so that He won’t be interrupted. Jesus finds a “desolate” place, where it takes his disciples hours of searching to find Him, because He needs uninterrupted space to be alone with God and pray.

Now, I can easily pray and read my Bible with my phone on my desk, and before I realise it i’ve had 5 phone pickups, checked the news, checked Instagram, read a text, and googled a couple of things, all during my quiet time with God.

Jesus didn’t have a phone, but He had distractions, and He knew that following God and doing His will required removing those distractions, so that He could enjoy Him and hear His voice. 

What are the distractions you need to remove from your life to be able to pray?

How can you practically carve out time to be undistracted before God?

When Simon finds Jesus, he tells Him: “Everyone is looking for you.”
Everyone wants Jesus’ time. Everyone wants to talk, wants a miracle, wants an answer. Everyone wants to set Jesus’ priorities and His schedule for Him. But, Jesus has already been with the Father and He knows what the Father wants Him to prioritise and do.

He needs to move on to the other Towns to preach to them too. He can’t stay here anymore. He needs to leave. Even though that means people will be disappointed, and probably won’t understand. He is obeying God's leading.

Jesus knows who He is (Identity), because He has spent the morning with His Father. He knows what He needs to do (Priority), because He has spent the morning with His Father. And He has the grace to do these things (Empowering) - even though He should be tired from His work - because He has been with His Father.

We are a people that are called to know God, and to depend on the power of our Spirit for our lives. That means our ministries, our marriages, our parenting, our singleness, our work, our scheduling, and our new existence in lockdown.

Prayerlessness shows that we think that we don’t need God, and that we can do this on our own. But we can’t. Prayerless-ness is pride, because in it we are depending on our own strength, and our own power to live our lives, rather than depending on His grace. 

If Jesus Christ, during a busy season of life and ministry, needed to get up early, prioritise prayer and be with God, who do we think we are to try and do it on our own?

We are currently living through extraordinary times where the future is unknown, uncertain and out of our control. Many of us are tired, stretched, stressed and anxious. Whether we are busy and tired or have a lot of free time on our hands, this is a time to prioritise being alone with God, so that we can be refreshed, empowered, reminded of our identity, reminded of what matters most, shown what to prioritise, and to just enjoy Jesus for ourselves.

We need to be with Him.
 
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to your from this passage this morning.
 
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you this morning?
 
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?