Seeds for 09/27/2023 - Matthew 14:22-24
Scripture: Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Observation: Jesus’ solitude was interrupted by His decision to heal the sick from among the crowds that tracked Him down. This led to feeding the 5000 (plus), giving the disciples an object lesson in the process that would become widely known among His followers.
We move quickly from the miraculous meal to walking on water, but there’s a short episode that’s worth catching before moving from wonder to wonder.
“After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside to pray.”
His first attempt at alone time was interrupted by the crowds. It ended by His decision, but not by His design. This time, there’s a greater sense of pause, of completion. The narrative moves from “He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray” to “Later that night, He was there alone.”
Jesus’ time alone and in prayer is unhurried.
The saying goes, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Well, Jesus withdrew for solitude and was interrupted, sought out by the crowds, to whom He graciously ministered. But moving on to the next demand didn’t mean that He got what He needed, that what He was after had been satisfied. So, at the next soonest opportunity, without resentment at those He chose to help, Jesus retreats again to resume the refill of His soul.
Application:
When you are swept up in demands, what helps you reset an unhurried-ness of the soul?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, amid the demands of life and of service in your name, keep me grounded in an unhurried relationship with you. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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