‘He departed to the mountain to pray.’ Mark 6:46 NKJV
Let’s look at another point at which Jesus prayed: when the pressures and expectations of others threatened to derail God’s plan for His life.
The Bible says: ‘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 that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So He travelled throughout Galilee, preaching.’ (Mark 1:35–39 NIV) The lesson here is this: unless you get God’s plan and stick with it, others will try to plan your life for you. Given the success Jesus enjoyed in every town He visited, many preachers would have stayed and built a church and enjoyed the accolades and rewards of their ministry. Not Jesus; He marched to the beat of a different drum.
As you look back on some of your mistakes, you find decisions made in response to pressure instead of prayer. When you’re prayerless, you get careless. God has a plan for your life, and a schedule. To stay in sync with both you must pray regularly. Jesus realised He had only enough time to do what His Father wanted done, and that gave Him the ability to say no to other things. You’ve been called to love people—but please God. And your confidence in prayer comes from knowing you’re operating within His will (see 1 John 3:21–22).
SoulFood: 1 Sam 4–7, Matt 22:1–14, Ps 64, Prov 16:26–30
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
