Game Changer Week 4: Devotional Day 1

Game Changer Week 4: Devotional Day 1

DAY 1 – Monday

Daily devotional

Read

Mark 1:35; 6:31-32; 9:2; 14:32

Ask

Jesus is seen frequently getting away to be with his Father. What ways could you pursue being with your heavenly Father?

Reflect

It is remarkable that in a Gospel known for its breakneck pace (evidenced by how frequently the word “immediately” appears), Mark frequently records Jesus finding time to just get away. From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to the very end, Jesus is dodging the crowds, climbing mountains, and stealing away into the wilderness, not for “me” time, but “we” time.

We associate prayer with piety and resolve, especially if we struggle with it, but the impression I get from these times for Jesus was that they were his restorative times. But if we only imagine prayer as talking, we miss that Jesus rested in these moments away. The implication was silence, and in any given conversation one party must be silent in order to hear the other party. In that sense, Jesus truly conversed with his Father when he rested.

It’s important to note that Jesus did not always retire alone. He would frequently take all, or just some, of his disciples with him. Perhaps he wanted to give them insight into how he prayed, and indeed we see several occasions where the disciples overhear his prayers. There is something incredibly generous in this, that Jesus would share his relationship with the Father. But I suppose that should not be surprising. That was his life’s mission after all.

This week, as we explore a Jesus revealed as glorious, and the words of his Father, I wonder if it behooves us to consider our own habits. As Jesus’ disciples many years later, do we continue to follow him into the quiet places? What opportunities do we give ourselves to listen? To speak?