T is for Time is the latest post in my 2019 Prayer A to Z series. You can find the others here.
Making Time to Pray
Are we really THAT busy?
My days are not nearly as taxing as Christ’s earthly days must have been. Just being in human form alone had its struggles! But Mark chapter 1 tells us about the start of His ministry:
- v. 4-John came baptizing
- v. 9-11 Jesus came & was baptized, the Spirit descended on Him & the Father acknowledged Him
- v. 12 IMMEDIATELY the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness when He was tempted for 40 days
- v. 14-19 He went into Galilee & found His disciples
- v. 20 IMMEDIATELY He called them
- v. 21 They went into Capernaum & RIGHT AWAY He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath & started teaching with authority
- v. 23 JUST THEN a possessed man approached and Christ cast the demon out
- v. 28 AT ONCE
- v. 29 AS SOON AS THEY LEFT THE SYNAGOGUE, they went to Simon & Andrew’s house. There they healed Simon’s MIL.
- v. 32 WHEN EVENING CAME, they brought the sick and demon possessed to Him to be healed.
Whew!
How did Jesus deal with this drain on His time?
Verses 35-37, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place; and there He was praying. Simon and his companions searched for Him, and when they found Him they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” —-Jesus recharged with prayer. He knew He only had three years of ministry time on Earth. He knew He had to pack His days as full as He could. So He fortified Himself with time with His Father.
If you read His response in verse 38, you’ll see He’s ready to go back to work. “And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” (emphasis mine.)
Your time with God can refresh YOU, too.
In Matt. 11:28, we find this: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Is that what you were expecting from time with God? Did you want deep scriptural revelations or a big-ticket item on your wish list? Sure. That can happen, too. But I’ve come to realize this week that if my mind and spirit are not rested, I will NOT latch onto any Huge Scriptural revelation. And, if I am too weary to enjoy it, what good will that big-ticket answer to prayer do me?
So today, I’m claiming REST from my TIME with God.
Maybe you know the kind of rest I mean: the “I was at college and just finished finals and barely got home before I collapsed and now I’m a lump on the sofa while under the watchful eye of my loving Father” kind of rest. And believe me, since I’ve been dealing with flu this past week, I am ready for some REAL rest.
Abba Father, thank You for changing the direction this post took so that I (and anyone else who needed it) could see the importance of rest under Your care. Grant those touched by this word a supernatural REST that could only be traced back to YOU. One that produces change to further Your Kingdom.
Thanks for stopping by today. I know your time is valuable. All the Prayer A to Z posts are gathered here, if you need. May God bless you.
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