"Seeking Out Lord Inspires
Today All, Remembering Yeshua! (S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y)"
By Ramesh
C.Reddy Pittsburgh Standard
February 07,
2008
SCRIPTURE:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus
got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he
prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they
found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied,
"Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there
also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee,
preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” (Mark 1:35-39,
NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what were
the actions of Jesus!
I learned that ‘very early
in the morning, while it was still dark’ Jesus did 4 things:
-
Jesus got up.
-
Jesus left the house.
-
Jesus went out to a
solitary place.
-
Jesus prayed.
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself the significance of each point?
Point
1: Jesus got up
I asked myself why it is
significant that ‘very early in the
morning’ is mentioned!
I found this very significant because this
happened after Jesus spent so much time healing people with various
diseases the night before. Yet, Jesus still gets up very early in the
morning. He does not let the night before interfere with what He wanted
to do and needed to do. He did not cling to the bed for extra doses of
sleep. Not only does Jesus get up but gets up
'very early' and does something else which is
evident by point 2.
Point 2:
Jesus left the house
I asked myself why it is
significant that Jesus left the house?
It is very possible that Jesus was still staying
in Simon and Andrew’s house where He had fellowship with them, healed
Peter’s mother-in-law, and healed people who came to the door with
various diseases. The house could have been packed with Simon and
Andrew’s family and guests including Jesus. I believe Jesus does not
want to disturb any of them so He leaves the house. We do find another
reason why Jesus leaves the house which is evident in points 3 & 4.
Point
3&4: Jesus went out to a solitary place where He prayed.
I asked myself why Jesus
wanted to go to a solitary place?
Jesus wanted some privacy so He could pray. The
house setting was not going to do because there were many people in the
house still sleeping. Waiting for people to get up was not also going to
be feasible because then Jesus would not have had privacy to bring His
requests before the Father. But this way, Jesus started out His day
spending time alone with the Father without any disturbances. For that
to happen, Jesus sacrificed His sleep and got up while it was still
dark. Jesus exhibited qualities of sacrifice early on.
As Jesus is praying in a solitary place,
something else is happening back at the house later. This is evident by
v.36.
“Simon and his companions
went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone
is looking for you!’” (Mark 1:36, NIV)
There are two things that Simon and his
companions do
-
They went to look for
Jesus.
-
When they found him,
they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!”
Statement 1: They went to look for Jesus.
Interpretation:
I asked myself the significance of each statement?
If they went to look for Jesus, this tells me
that Jesus was not nearby where he could be easily located and
disturbed. Jesus wanted that private time alone with the Lord. It is
also possible that they all slept for awhile after Jesus left because
now everyone is awake and doing something which is evident by statement
2.
Statement 2: When they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking
for you!”
Eventually, Simon and his companions found Jesus and exclaimed that
everyone was looking for Him. This also tells me that Jesus might have
spent a lot of time in prayer and it took sometime for them to find
Jesus. The amount of time they slept after Jesus left the house and the
amount of time it took to find Jesus can give us the idea how much time
Jesus spent with the Father that morning. If everyone was looking for
Jesus then it was a time where most of them were already up. That’s a
lot of time Jesus spent in a solitary place very early in the morning
before daybreak!
Observation:
I asked myself how Jesus
responds to their exclamation!
Jesus responds with 3 replies:
-
Let us go somewhere
else to the nearby villages.
-
So I can preach there
also.
-
That is why I have
come.
Observation/Interpretation:
Why are these statements so significant?
These statements are so significant to me
because Jesus made these statements to Simon and his companions after He
had spent time with the Father. He was sharing His insights with them
after prayer. Even though people were looking for him from one place,
Jesus wanted them to know that He did not come to be confined to one
area and one sub-population but came for other people too.
It is very interesting that Jesus did not say
that He came to heal people but ‘so I can preach
there also’. The Gospel was priority in Jesus’ life. But to
present the Gospel, Jesus also met people where they were so they would
be more receptive to the Gospel. This is evident by v.39.
"So he traveled
throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out
demons.” (Mark 1:39, NIV)
Because of time spent in prayer, Jesus and His
companions traveled throughout Galilee preaching in the synagogues and
driving out demons.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life as
I studied this passage. The most important thing I learned is the
importance of solitary time with the Lord to spend in prayer. I learned
how prayer before the Father gave Jesus insight on what to do. These
days we also have the Word of God in print for us to spend with the
Father in prayer. Praying God’s Word and spending time in God’s Word can
give me new insights on what the Lord wants me to do that day rather
than going my own way.
I ask you now dear friends, where do you give your
solitary time to the Lord?
Dear friends, I learned from this passage the
importance of solitary time with Father God. When we spend time alone
with Father God without any distractions, He reveals to us what He wants
us to do and we know we can be guided in His footsteps. That is so
exciting to know! Yes, we can friend! Oh yes, we can!
Friend,
the important thing is time with the Lord in solitariness and not
whether it is in the morning, noon, or at night. For Jesus it worked
best to have solitary time early in the morning but for you it maybe in
the evening or afternoon. Choose a time and give that time to the Lord
without any distractions which means having your cell phone turned off
and answering machine picking up your calls.
The
quality time is more important than the quantity of time spent but as
any relationship, the more quality time we spend the more fruitful our
own relationship with the Lord becomes!
Jesus set an example for us on the importance of
prayer. Now God has also given us His Word to be able to listen to Him
and do what He wants for our lives. Unless, we spend time in the Word
and with God through prayer, we will miss out on a lot of things because
we will be going our own way. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us through
the Word and through prayer. This can be supplemented by fellowship and
church but that is never substituted for time alone with Jesus to know
Him and be known by Him. Jesus went to the synagogue and had fellowship
time but still got up the next day to spend time alone with the Father.
This does not mean that we cannot talk to the
Lord when we are among other people. Prayer to the Lord can happen
anytime but we need to also set a special time alone with the Lord. It
is imperative and exciting to know we have prayer available.
“But I
will call upon the Lord to save me---and he will. I will pray morning,
noon, and night, pleading aloud with God; and he will hear and answer.”
(Psalm 55:16-17, TLB)
“Give your
burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to
slip or fall.” (Psalm 55:22, TLB)
Talk to the Lord about your life
during the morning, noon, and night, pleading aloud with God and He will
hear and answer. He wants to carry your burdens. He will not permit the
godly to slip or fall.
Prayer is Wonderful, Prayer
is Powerful
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Prayer is wonderful; prayer
is powerful
Prayer is wonderful; prayer is powerful
More of prayer in my life
In the morning time;
My Jesus, I will pray to you!
In the noon time;
My Jesus, I will pray to you!
In the night time;
My Jesus, I will pray to you!
For you hear and answer!
Prayer is wonderful; prayer
is powerful
Prayer is wonderful; prayer is powerful
More of prayer in my life.
Amen!
May you find time in your schedule to spend time
alone with Father God so He can guide you and lead you! Amen!
"Seeking Out Lord Inspires
Today All, Remembering Yeshua!"(S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y)/" Where do
you give your solitary time to the Lord?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus thank you so much for the example you have set for us. You
did not let the night before cloud out your time with the Father very
early in the morning. You got up and while it was still dark, went out
to a solitary place to pray. During that time, thank you for the wisdom
you received and shared those with Simon and his companions when they
came to look for you. What you have shown me is the importance of a
solitary time with you Lord regardless of when we have that time. I know
if you did not have your solitary time in the morning it would have been
difficult for you with everyone bombarding you. Help us Oh Lord not to
make our hectic schedules as excuses for not spending time with you.
Help us to always make time for you Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus.
Thank you again for the insights you can give us. Thank you for the
power of your Word and your Spirit to guide us and lead us! Thank you
for supplementing that with community of believers! In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart.
Prayer:
God I am a sinner. I am invaded by this deadliest virus. Many times I
feel so guilty and yucky inside. I need forgiveness. I am so sorry for
my sins. I have not obeyed you with my whole heart! I have gone my own
way and done my own things. I still struggle with sin. I need you Jesus
in my life so I can receive forgiveness and a new beginning. In the
process, I can forgive others as you help me to. Thank you so much
Jesus. I accept the antidote you have sent me. I believe Jesus you died
for me and your cleansing blood will cleanse me from all my sins. You
came back to life to save me. Thank you God I am set free, free from the
bondage of sin. Hear my cry Oh Lord. I accept you Jesus into my heart. I
make you my Lord and Personal Savior of my life. Thank you Father God
for giving me Salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and
making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will
live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you
for being my Lord and personal Savior! I can live a life of peace with
you on my side. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me!
In your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! Thank you Lord for answering my prayer.
Amen!!!
Friend, if you have prayed this
prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and
all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may
feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your
new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave
you nor forsake you! Amen!
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But
beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but
there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.
As a
student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus too this
blessed New Year of 2008! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-720-4579.
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
P.S. If you don't agree on
something that is written, please feel free to comment on it below for
we learn from each other. Even if you agree, feel free to express your
view :)
|
.Click
picture to read my dad's memoriam:
' I AM ' Series
Archives:
What kind of L.I.G.H.T do you follow? (Dec 13,
07, 10:09 a.m.)
"What kind of B.R.E.A.D do you eat?" (Dec 08,
07, 10:10 a.m.)
"Who is your S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D?"
(June 30,
06)
Gospel of Mark Archives:
Mark 1:1:
"What does the G.O.S.P.E.L mean to you?" (Jan
15, 08, 1:15 p.m.)
Mark 1:1-4: "How
seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y about prophesy?" (Jan
12, 08, 11:18 p.m.)
Mark 1:5-8:
"Who do you P.O.I.N.T to?" (Jan 16, 08,
8:48 a.m.)
Mark 1:9:
How will you take a S.T.A.N.D? (Jan 17, 08,
11:21 a.m.)
Mark 1:9-11:
"How is your loving P.R.A.I.S.E?" (Jan 18, 08,
8:53 a.m.)
Mark 1:12-13: "How
do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N?" (Jan 19,
08, 12:27 p.m.)
Mark 1:14-15:
How do you handle T.I.M.E given to you? (Jan
21, 08, 1:31 p.m.)
Mark 1:16-18:
"What kind of P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N are you in?" (Jan
26, 08, 10:22 a.m.)
Mark
1:19-20:
"Without having to P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.E, what should you do?"
(Jan 29, 08,
10:44 a.m.)
Mark
1:20-22:
"How do you rate in the B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S of Jesus?" (Jan
30, 08, 11:29 a.m.)
Mark
1:20-22:
"Whose T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S do you follow?" (Jan
31, 08, 11:52 a.m.)
Mark
1:23-28:
"What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today?" (Feb
01, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 4:3-20:
"What if Jesus talked F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L?" (Feb
02, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 1:29-31:
"Where do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G?" (Feb 05,
08, 11:44 a.m.)
Mark 1:32-34:
"Where do you need an A.N.S.W.E.R?" (Feb 06,
08, 11:16 a.m.)
|