RESTING ON A ROCK
SUN MAY 3
Read Mark 1:35-39 2020
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
— Luke 5:16 (NIV)
Once or twice a year, my husband’s uncle would drive from his Indiana home to a northwestern desert. He said he needed to get away from everything and spend some time just sitting on a rock. He usually combined his trips with mission work, meeting various needs in the area. First, however, he withdrew to his rock to clear his mind and calm his spirit from the stresses of life.
Whether he intentionally followed Jesus’ example or simply recognized his personal need for solitude, he never said. Either way, his actions demonstrated the pattern Jesus set during his time on earth. Jesus’ life was certainly full. He ministered to hurting crowds through healing, feeding, and teaching. He offered unconditional love. He touched lepers. He ate with outcasts. He challenged the status quo. But even with all that interaction, Jesus regularly withdrew from everyone and everything for time alone with his Father.
Don’t we need the same renewal? If we go nonstop, we deplete all our energy and become no good to ourselves
or anyone else. Personal time with God, who is our Rock, restores our energy and prepares us for another day of loving obedience to our Father.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for meeting us in solitude and giving us strength when we turn to you. Amen.
Diana C. Derringer (Kentucky, USA) Prayer Focus: THOSE BURDENED BY STRESS 9
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
— Luke 5:16 (NIV)
Once or twice a year, my husband’s uncle would drive from his Indiana home to a northwestern desert. He said he needed to get away from everything and spend some time just sitting on a rock. He usually combined his trips with mission work, meeting various needs in the area. First, however, he withdrew to his rock to clear his mind and calm his spirit from the stresses of life.
Whether he intentionally followed Jesus’ example or simply recognized his personal need for solitude, he never said. Either way, his actions demonstrated the pattern Jesus set during his time on earth. Jesus’ life was certainly full. He ministered to hurting crowds through healing, feeding, and teaching. He offered unconditional love. He touched lepers. He ate with outcasts. He challenged the status quo. But even with all that interaction, Jesus regularly withdrew from everyone and everything for time alone with his Father.
Don’t we need the same renewal? If we go nonstop, we deplete all our energy and become no good to ourselves
or anyone else. Personal time with God, who is our Rock, restores our energy and prepares us for another day of loving obedience to our Father.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for meeting us in solitude and giving us strength when we turn to you. Amen.
Diana C. Derringer (Kentucky, USA) Prayer Focus: THOSE BURDENED BY STRESS 9
