Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Yesterday we talked about praying without ceasing...as the apostle Paul mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17. Frankly, that fits our American "warp speed" lifestyle. We like fast food. We go all out from the time we get up until the time we go to bed, from activity to activity and, if truth be told, we like it. I mean, I can stand in front of a microwave waiting on a baked potato for like 5 minutes and really say, "Man, this thing is takin' FOREVER."
So I don't think it was really too much of a stretch to pray without ceasing. The idea of the Greek word mentioning a hacking cough is actually comforting to us. We can have a thought of something pop into our brain and simply fire off a prayer right then and right there. While the idea of keeping an attitude of prayer is daunting, it's kind of comforting because it fits our lifestyle.
Then we're faced with the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:6 (from The Message): "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace."
But it was more than words with Him.
We'll check out Mark 6:46 in a second, but first a little background. Jesus had a cousin who He bonded with (quite literally) since the womb. John the Baptist had an effective ministry preparing people to hear the message of The Kingdom, and even had the amazing privilege of baptizing Christ Himself! It's my belief the two of them were very close.
Flash forward to Mark 6. Part of John's ministry involved being a prophet, and in that role he had called out the king's wife as an adulterer. The queen's daughter had performed the entertainment for one of the king's parties, and the king, in return offered the daughter a large gift of her choosing. At her mother's request, she chose to have John the Baptist beheaded (he was already in jail). The king granted this request.
Can you imagine how Jesus, in His humanity, felt upon hearing this? The cousin He grew up with and shared a lot of ministry with had been killed as a party favor? He was grieved, and wanted to get away and be alone.
The masses saw Him get in a boat with the disciples, they ran along the shoreline, following the boat, until he got to the next town. He was greeted by a large crowd. Jesus, at great personal sacrifice, went back to work. He preached a sermon...pretty much went all day long. He performed a miracle...fed around 10,000 people with five loaves and two fishes. They cleaned up. It had been a long day.
I'm sure Jesus was tired.
I'm sure He was emotionally worn out.
But look what He did next:
Mark 6:45-46 (from The Message): "As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation. After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray."
Did you catch that?
He was as busy as we ever are...at least on this day He was. He was as physically tired as we are. He was as emotionally drained as we get. He needed time alone to commune with His Father.
At great personal expense, He climbed a mountain to talk to His Father.
He found a quiet place. A secluded place. A place where He could be alone with God. A place to shift His focus off Himself and focus on the Father. A place where He could experience the grace of God.
Jesus didn't just talk about that stuff in flowery sermons. He lived it out.
And, yes, we should model that same thing.
The application today is obvious: Where is your quiet place? Your secluded place? The place where you can be quiet before Him? A place where you can experience the grace of God?
There's another application that isn't so obvious: What excuses do you give for not getting away and being still before the Lord? Too tired? Too busy? Too drained? Can I suggest that you might not be those things if you carved out some time as you need it to be alone and still before Him...
Brent 3:50 AM
Comments:
Getting away is difficult for me too. It's not that I mind being alone, it's just that the house is never quiet, and I get distracted easily so I can't go somewhere with other people around. That, in the FlowerPlex, is hard to find. I find that nature calms me, places like Pine Cove, where I can go off by myself and get lost in the beauty and serenity of God's handiwork. I find there's only one place where I can pour my heart out to God. It's the only true place I can lose myself. But even then it's not quality time, and finding such has been a constant struggle for a long while for me. I need to discipline myself. Thanks for doing this for us Brent, it's much appreciated.
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