Mark 6:45-56
How
many times do you get pulled away from something you are working on to do
something else? It might be someone at work who thinks you have nothing better
to do than do their work. It might be the ‘emergency’ that arises that really
is the result of someone else’s poor planning. And of course children bring
with them the unexpected and the interruptions. There are so many things that
can get us off track from what is really important in life. Mine is Netflix in
the evenings! They say confession is good for the soul.
Sometimes
these distractions are actually good things, worthwhile endeavors, things with
lasting value. Sometimes they are a complete waste of our time and energies.
The real question I want to ask is this. What do we do after the distraction?
Do we get back on track with what is important?
We
all get distracted. Even Jesus in His training plan for His disciples seems to
have gotten off track. He wanted to pull them aside and give them some one on
one time, some time to rest. But with every move to accomplish this plan the
crowds show up and change the training plan for the day. I am sure Jesus has
the ability to make the most of it, but it was still different from His
original stated plan.
They
have fed the crowd and gathered up the leftovers. Jesus knows His disciples
need some time away from the crowds, so He puts them in a boat even before the
crowds have dispersed. He wants to give them a break, and He takes the burden
of all the loose ends.
Our
text doesn’t say this, but I bet there were a lot of needs met as the crowd
dispersed. I am sure people came and asked for prayer, for healing, and for
deliverance, people who couldn’t get close because of the size of the crowd. We
see it in church, after the final prayer, people come forward to talk to the
pastor. Jesus didn’t need His disciples around to have compassion. He was
compassion embodied.
And
then when the crowd is gone He goes aside for prayer. Prayer is what Jesus
turns to when He needs refreshing. We see it repeatedly in His life and
ministry. He pulls aside and spends time in prayer. Not a bad example to
follow!
But
I think so many of us, myself included, have lost the essence of prayer. Or
perhaps we only experience one aspect of prayer, say petition. For many of us
we have not learned the power of being silent in God’s presence, of quieting
our soul and allowing Him to speak with His presence in the core of our being.
There may not be words in those times, but words fail when His presence is
present. It is like the hug when bad news comes. The hug speaks more than any
words could.
Pull
aside and spend time in prayer.