Scripture

Before day break the next morning, Jesus got up and went to an isolated place to pray.

Observation

Jesus, James and John leave the synagogue and go to Simon and Andrew’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. Jesus goes to her bedside and heals her.

That evening many sick and demonised people are brought to Jesus. He heals the sick people of all kinds of diseases and casts out many demons. Before sunrise the next morning, Jesus goes to an isolated place to pray.

When Simon and the others find Him, they tell Him that everyone is looking for him. Jesus tells them that He needs to go to other places as well to preach the Good News.

Application

There are times when Jesus was so inundated by people that He had to go somewhere quiet to pray.

Even the Son of God needed to refresh Himself in the presence of God. He needed to renew His strength by waiting on the Lord, and He needed to talk with the Father about the Father’s mission for Him.

We all need to maintain that connection with God in order to be effective for Him. This takes time and commitment. We must set aside time to be with the Lord, even if it means getting up early.

We must also find a place that is free of distractions.

Connecting with the Holy Spirit is as simple as this:

1. Stop. I clear my thoughts and concentrate on listening to God.

2. Look. I visualise Jesus with me Emmanuel – God is with us.

3. Listen. I listen to the spontaneous thoughts that God is speaking to me.

4. Write. I write down the conversation to make the thoughts concrete.

Listening

Lord, what else Do you want to say to me about prayer today?

Keith, as you have experienced, fellowship with me is a journey. It takes determination and consistency. Many people give up or stay in the shallow end when things get challenging. Many people just get overwhelmed by life and busyness and so fail to grow in me.

Prayer is simply stepping out of yourself – letting go of the addictions to activity and letting go of the ways of the world.

If Jesus got up early to pray, then all of my children can find time in their day to seek me.