‘He went… to a solitary place; and… prayed.’ Mark 1:35 NKJV
By failing to pray—you set yourself up to fail. The reason Jesus never failed is because He never failed to pray. Note the times when He prayed: when His heart was heavy. During His ministry on earth, His cousin John the Baptist was arrested and publicly beheaded for confronting a king about his sin. ‘When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew… privately to a solitary place.’ (Matthew 14:13 NIV)
Disappointment, desertion, divorce and death will write their chapters in the book of our lives. Thank God for therapists and doctors, but ultimately there’s no one who can heal a broken heart like God. ‘He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power.’ (Psalm 147:3–5 NIV) Whether placing stars or healing scars, no situation is too big or too small to get the attention of our loving God.
To understand God’s healing expertise, look at the life of Job. Possibly no one in history lost more than Job did, yet God brought him through it all. In Job chapter eleven we read: ‘You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. Your life will be brighter than the noonday. Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety. You will lie down unafraid, and many will look to you for help.’ (Job 11:16–19 NLT) Are you sad and heavy-hearted today? Do what Jesus did. Take time to pray about it.
SoulFood: 1 Sam 1–3, Matt 21:33–46, Ps 59:9–17, Prov 16:23–26
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
