Tuesday, March 13, 2007

priorities

Luke 5:15-16 But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

How many of us would do that. We are experiencing the power of God to heal the sick. People are coming from all over the place to be touched by that power. Good things are happening! The Kingdom is going forward! Then Jesus does the strangest thing. He leaves. He takes off into the wilderness to pray. Why? We aren't told specifically. We are told in a number of places that this was a regular habit with Him. And we see Him do it at critical times in His life. Jesus didn't just come to the earth with a plan and set out to execute it while His Father sat back on the throne with a bag of popcorn and watched the show. "Get 'em Jesus! Whip that devil!" This was a team effort, a joint labor of love. Jesus took on flesh and blood, the Holy Spirit empowered Him to demonstrate the supernatural love that brought him here, and the Father ruled with His divine wisdom from the throne. I am quite sure that Jesus knew how to "walk in the Spirit" while He went about teaching and doing the works of His kingdom. I am sure that He was mindful of the Father at all times. But He still took time on a regular basis to put everything else aside and go spend time alone with the other members of the Godhead. And He would do that right in the middle of really good things happening. I am not sure He "needed" to do that. I cant think of anywhere that it says He "needed" to get alone and pray. But He did it. Regularly. Consistently. Whether He needed it, or simply wanted it, or the Father would call Him to it, He did it. Time alone with the Father was a priority to Him. As His disciples, as His followers, I am thinking it should be a priority to us also. Prayer and meditation in His word; these need to be a regular part of our daily lives.

Pretty simple. Not particularly profound. Absolutely critical.

The question is, do I do it, or just talk about it? Americans in the 21st century may possibly be the busiest people that have ever lived on the planet. The demands on our time, the multitudes of options and choices we are faced with each day, it can be overwhelming. Good intentions about seeking God can be genuine and yet never experienced as the reality of life. He has wonderful truths and understanding of His ways that He wants to show us. He has a love beyond words that He wants to reveal to us and pour out into our hearts. The Creator of the universe wants to share the intimacy of friendship, and a father-child relationship with us. Do we give Him the opportunity? Or are we too busy chasing the American dream and all this world has to offer? When we look at how we spend our time and money, what does it reveal about the true desires of our hearts?

Jer 9:23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Jer 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.


Lord, give me a heart to seek your face.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Lord drew me into a day of being in His Presence today. I can barely contain what is happening inside me. As you say in an earlier post, I want to run, I am running with Him. Glory...