Mark
1:32-39
Ever have one of those days that you get
out of bed and are already behind? At noon you wish you could stop for lunch
but you have barely managed to catch up with the stuff from yesterday. You are afraid to check your e-mail because
you know, “you have mail” and the only reason your cell phone isn’t ringing is
because you forgot to charge the batteries. When I read the Gospel of Mark, I
get the impression this was the way Jesus spent his life. It seems as if every
other verse begins with the word, “Immediately.” Immediately Jesus healed the sick;
immediately Jesus went to the next town; immediately Jesus called the disciples
around him. Everything in the life of
Jesus happened immediately and it happened often. Even after sunset Jesus was
still about the business of healing the sick and offering a word of comfort to
those with restless souls. He must have been exhausted by the time he would
finally lay down to sleep. Yet early each morning, before the sunrise, Jesus would
go out into the darkness, find a quiet place and spend time in prayer.
If you
have raised children, you have prayed for a quiet place. If you were a teacher, I know you prayed for
a quiet moment. If your job seems to have no beginning or no end, I suspect you
have prayed for a quiet release. And those of you who have retired and have
“all the time in the world,” now that you have the time, do you actively and
intentionally seek out a quiet place to pray?
I am
often told prayer is one of those things we should be able to do any time, any
place. Folks tell me they often pray on their way to work. If they are driving
I hope for the sake of others they pray with their eyes open. Some folks pray…when
they are on exercise machines…, in the midst of a lot of heavy breathing…,
with TVs directly overhead. Some folks
like to pray when they are swimming. I
can understand that. When I swim my prayer is always, “Don’t let me drown.” Are
we really praying if our time of prayer is delegated to moments when we are doing
something else? Yes, we are killing two birds with one stone but is it any
wonder it seems God seldom responds to prayer? Maybe God refuses to compete
with the TV or the rhythm of our feet. Maybe God doesn’t like to raise God’s voice. Maybe God demands quietness.
Early
in the morning, Jesus went out to find a quiet place to pray. I have never
accepted the excuse that one is too busy to pray or to study scripture. Do we
really believe our lives are busier than the life of Jesus? Some folks tell me
there are just not enough hours in the day, but if something is really
important, guess what, we find the time. Work is important, children are
important, relationships are important, exercise is important. I am not saying God
is not important, but too often we only find a moment for God on Sunday, or when
the situation demands it. On the contrary, Jesus was in daily communication
with his heavenly parent. The prayers were regular and they were expected.
I am not much of a phone guy but Deb communicates
with our daughter every day. Martina leaves work promptly at 5:00. Before the
clock strikes 5:15 they are on the phone together. There is no emergency; often
nothing new is shared. They are just checking in to share their daily
adventures. Truth is they like to daily hear each other’s voice. I suspect our
heavenly parent feels the same way.
That
said, I completely realize for most folks talking to God is a daunting task. To
hear prayers in church, or meetings, or before meals seems natural. Those are
done in the midst of many other folks who are participating in time-honored rituals.
But to be alone with God, in a quiet place, with nothing to distract or
interrupt, can be frightening. We are programmed to noise. And as much as we
desire the quiet, perhaps we subconsciously fear it. Quiet time is inward time.
Inward time is a time of examination when we risk seeing ourselves as God sees
us. It exposes our potential, our weaknesses, our gifts, our deficiencies, our
dreams and even our nightmares. Quiet time reveals the one who knows us better
than we know ourselves.
Rodney
Crowell, one of my favorite dashboard poets, sings:
It’s
time to go inward and take a look at myself.
It’s
time to make the most of the time I’ve got left.
Prison
bars imagined are no less steel.
It’s
time to go inward, would you believe that I’m afraid
To
stare down the barrel of the choices I’ve made?
The
ghost of bad decisions makes mountains
Out of everything I
feel.
It’s time to go
inward, time to be still,
If I don’t do it now I
don’t believe I ever will.
My mind is like a
chatterbox
Whose
noise pollutes the pathways to my soul.
Early in the morning, Jesus went out to
find a quiet place to pray. Why of all people would Jesus find it necessary to
daily check in with God before beginning his day? Why would Jesus have to
examine his life, his mission, his calling? Certainly there could have been
nothing but positive thoughts emulating from the one chosen by God. What would
tempt him from the task at hand? What could make him uncertain about the road
ahead? Unquestionably there must have been constant communication between the
Son and the Father. And yet Jesus still finds a quiet moment to begin his
day. Why was it necessary? Maybe Jesus
needed to give thanks, and say, “O Father in heaven, hallowed be thy
name.” Perhaps Jesus wanted to affirm
that God’s plan remained his roadmap for the day. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” Maybe
Jesus needed a moment to consider his pending adventures and be reminded that
God would walk beside him. “Supply us with daily bread and protect us from
temptation.” Perhaps Jesus knew that obstacles would certainly cross his path
and wanted strength for the journey.
“Deliver us from the evil thoughts of those who confront us.” Most of all I believe Jesus wanted to praise
the one who was not just his Heavenly Father but the Parent of all creation. “For
you are the power and the glory, today and forever more.” Could some of the
strength, the steadfastness, the compassion, the consistency of Jesus evolved
from the faithfulness of his prayer life?
That makes me wonder, if the Son of God
found prayer to be a critical part of his daily routine, why are we who call
ourselves the children of God so slow to respond to our savior’s example? Maybe
you never gave any thought to pursuing an active prayer life? Maybe it is time management. Maybe it is fear
of the quiet. Maybe it is fear of what God might say? Maybe it is fear that nothing might be
discovered. Maybe it is fear that too much might be discovered. Maybe it is the fear of not knowing how to
pray. Many reasons keep us from coming to God. None of them should be taken
lightly. I only want to share this one little insight. I have known a number of
folks who are intensely faithful in their prayer life. I have read the prayers
and commentaries of people who are faithful in their prayer life. None of them suggest it is a waste of time or
a disappointing experience. All of them say it is a discipline that takes time
and energy to perfect. But none have regretted the journey because they all
affirm that the peace of God, which passes all understanding, guards their
heart and their thoughts. There may be untamed and unmanageable feelings, there
may be bitterness and even hatred, there may be anxiety brought on by nothing
in particular, there may be some strange or foreboding disaster that does not
yet appear. Through all of this, their overwhelming hunger for God underscores
all the ambitions, dreams and restlessness of a churning spirit. They know that
the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard their hearts and
thoughts.
Thomas Merton spent the first 27 years
of his life in turmoil and confusion. He spent his last 27 years in prayer.
Merton observed, “Prayer is a conversion of our entire self to God. One cannot
enter into prayer without an inner upheaval that breaks our routine, and
liberates our heart from the preoccupation of our daily business. This is why
so few people apply themselves seriously to prayer. They are afraid something
they cannot control might happen. And they are right. Truth rises from the
courage to silence the day and open our hearts to the quiet presence of the
Word.”
How did Merton find such
serenity and such confidence? He followed the example of his Lord. Early every
morning, while it was still dark, he found a quiet place to pray.
May we all be blest with such faith and
discipline.
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