READING: Deuteronomy 1-3, Psalm 36, Luke 5
Every time I read these texts, the Lord just pounds my spirit and drives me away from my computer to my knees: “But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed” (Luke 5:15-16). The text hits home because of Jesus’ willingness to push away from the crowds and their needs to be with the Father. He did what I’m so often reticent to do.
I so love to preach that I’d want to preach if the crowds came to hear me. If I had the power to heal, the shepherd heart in me would want to heal all the sick in front of me. I can just see the attentive faces of the crowds and the wounded hearts of the sick. I can hear the low roar of the crowd and the painful moans of the hurting. I can even smell the odor in the air that so often accompanies sickness. My fear, though, is that I would do all the ministry first and then pray only if I had leftover time and energy – exactly the opposite of what Jesus did.
In the midst of my busy life, I must push away and pray. How about you?
PRAYER: “Teach me to prioritize prayer, Lord, even if I must walk away briefly from the hurting.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Deuteronomy 4-5, Luke 6
