3RD JULY
Mark 1:35-39
“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. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ 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.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”
No matter how busy you are, prayer is the foundation of a life lived for God!
This account of Jesus’ morning prayer time comes immediately after the busiest recorded day of Jesus’ ministry life. He was up late healing people and casting demons out of others. He knew there would be crowds of people wanting his attention the next day. If there was any time for him to choose a little extra sleep instead of prayer it was then.
But “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Good sleep and rest are very important to effective ministry with people. But there is something even more essential. Have you yet come to the conclusion Jesus did?
If you are going to learn the life of a witness, you must learn this lesson: Nothing, NOTHING, is more essential to the life of a witness than spending time with God, talking to him about your relationships and where he wants to take them, listening to him, allowing him to shape your sense of what he wants to do through you next in each relationship.
MAKE IT PERSONAL:
What do you think of the following statement? “If you are a stranger to prayer, you are a stranger to power!” S. Robinson