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Articles
Mark 1:35-39
Can you imagine the fear of Peter and the others on this particular morning? They had spent the entire previous day sitting at the feet of Jesus observing miracle-after-miracle which confirmed - He is the Messiah! The One who had been promised had arrived. Jesus had been in Peter’s home and healed his mother-in-law. These young disciples sat in wonder of the One who continued to heal the sick and cast out demons. This scene must have captured their full attention and given them so much hope in the future, but on this particular morning Jesus could not be found. Can you imagine the rush of fear these men experienced as they attempted to find their Savior?
While we may not have experienced this exact scenario – anyone who has ever taken a toddler into a grocery store understands the fear of loss that comes upon you so quickly! It does not take very long for a little boy to run away and hide beyond your eyesight. You begin to frantically search and scream out his name. You begin to ask others to search and find your little boy. In the midst of the chaos, he rounds the corner and after being hugged, he is sternly warned about going beyond dad’s eyesight. Then in the celebration of being found, he is given ice cream to ensure his happiness and that mom does not find out about dad’s “little incident.”
Jesus had gotten up earlier than the others and retreated to a secluded place to spend time in prayer. The fear of Peter and the others was real, but it was not for too long. When they found Jesus, He immediately called for them to follow Him and they went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. So many times in my own life - I fail to become more like Jesus. I become so engrossed with day-to-day activities that I fail to take time for prayer and study of God’s Word. May God create in us a heart that will fear losing these opportunities of spiritual growth. A heart that will forego even rest physically to draw closer to Him!
