Time with the Father

That night, the city of Capernaum was in great excitement. Those who witnessed Jesus’ miracles had likely gathered at Simon’s door even before dawn. The public ministry of Jesus began with tremendous success. However, this situation was highly dangerous for both Jesus and His disciples. One must be cautious, especially in times of success. Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went to a secluded place to pray. The term “secluded place” refers to outside the town. There were two purposes in Jesus’ prayer. (1) Through interaction with the Father, Jesus received strength. In John 4:32, Jesus said, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” For Jesus, doing the will of the Father God was His sustenance. (2) Through prayer, Jesus sought to hear from the Father, what role the Messiah was meant to fulfill. The Messiah’s mission was to perfectly carry out the will of the Father. What kind of Christian life are you living? Let’s learn to work not just for God but with God.

Sense of mission

As a result of his prayer, Jesus gained a clear sense of mission – the sense of mission as the Messiah. Simon and his companions came looking for Jesus, saying, “Everyone is looking for you.” The people of Capernaum expected Jesus to return to the town and continue performing even greater miracles. However, Jesus’ thoughts were different from theirs. He resolved to go out to the places where the gospel had not yet been proclaimed. In this was the sense of mission as the Messiah. There also was a sense of urgency for the limited time. Are you entrusting your daily plans to God through prayer? Are you acting with a sense of urgency that there are things that must be done now? Let’s take a moment to meditate on what needs to be done today and put it into action immediately.