By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

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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:

 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

 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:

 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 emphasizing the Gospel.

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, how do you find solitary time with  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.

When Jesus spent time in prayer and met the disciples, Jesus' priority was still preaching the Gospel but to other places too. Prayer in solitariness before the Father revealed the importance of the Gospel being spread.

The Gospel is what saves humanity from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus gives us the Good News and it starts with Him. Jesus is the Initiator. Jesus initiated forgiveness for all our sin by dying on the cross, shedding His precious blood, and coming back on the Third Day to save. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can bold turn to Jesus and find help in time of need.

We have to turn our lives over to Jesus no matter what we are going through so that He can change us and transform us. We need to always be in the presence of the Lord through prayer in our lives. Jesus wants to be with us but we need to take the time daily to meet Jesus alone in prayer and His Word. Yes, friend in the morning time, noon time, evening time, night time, etc we can meet the Lord. He alone has the power to save us from our sin when we turn to Him. That is exciting to know. It starts with PRAYER.

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, My Answer
I will pray to you!
In the noon time;
My Jesus, My Answer
I will pray to you!
In the night time;
My Jesus, My Answer
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!

"May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

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!