Withdraw

Every once in a while, the Bible "experts" get things wrong. Am I saying that there are mistakes in the Bible? Yes, I am - in the modern-day translations. Not in the original transcripts. Here's an example about what I mean.

The story, A Paralytic Is Healed, in Luke 5, begins this way:

"So, He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:16

The word "So" references the previous story. Verse 16 does not belong to the story about the paralytic, in my opinionl. Here is the last part of verse 16 along with Luke 5:15 . . .

"However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmaties. So, He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:15-16

That makes more sense. One thing to keep in mind - the original manuscripts had no punctuation at all. There were also no story headings or paragraph indentations. These New Testament "books" were actually letters written to churches or individuals.

The key here, and what we're going to talk about today, is that when things got hectic and overwhelming, Jesus often went away by Himself and prayed to God the Father.

And, speaking of "being alone," does your church have prayer groups? Ours does. Do you attend? Nothing against them at all, but let's not lose track that Jesus always went off by Himself to pray.

When Jesus was nearing the end of His ministry He went to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. He then took Peter, James, and John further. A men's prayer group? No. He left them to go pray by Himself.

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray. ³⁷He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed." - Matthew 26:36-38

Again, Jesus was all alone. Here's a partial AI generated list of when Jesus withdrew by Himself to pray:

• After hearing John the Baptist had been killed, Jesus withdrew by boat to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:31–32).
• After the crowd followed him, he went up a mountain by himself (Mark 6:46).
• Before choosing the Twelve, he went up on a mountain and spent the night praying by himself (Luke 6:12).
• After hearing of Lazarus’ sickness, he still could have spent time away, but the specific “by himself.".
• After a busy period with many people, he went away again to places where he could pray (Mark 1:35 describes him going out early “to a solitary place” before daybreak; the text emphasizes solitude).

It's safe to say that Jesus preferred being by Himself when He prayed.

" the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen." - Matthew 6:6

What do YOU think?

I think it depends on the situation. Praying in groups is fine, praying with an individual is powerful, and praying by ourselves is precious. The key is praying, wherever and whenever.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Philippians 4:6

The Quiet of The Morning

This morning was not a good morning for me. I was pretty frustrated. Do you ever get that way? It's not fun. BUT, I found something today that washed away all of that frustration. Want to know what it was?

A few weeks ago our pastor was preaching out of Mark 6. Right before Jesus fed the 5,000. There is a short passage of scripture that explains it all.

"30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." - Mark 6:30-32

Do you have a quiet place where you can go to "get away from it all"? I do. For me it's the woods or, more specifically, a trail through the woods.

When I get frustrated in life all I have to do is ask myself, "When was the last time you went for a walk in the woods?" My answer to that question is usually, "Too long ago" and then I go for a hike. I always feel better afterwards.

For me, hiking puts everything in perspective. I begin looking at the beauty surrounding me and I quickly forget about the struggles within me. I can spend time talking with God about my struggles. I watch the birds flying from tree to tree and all my frustrations just fade away.

Jesus often went away to a quiet place and prayed. Why was that do you think? I think it was because He wanted to spend time alone with God. When was the last time you did that?

Do you have a quiet place you can go to? Right now? What are you waiting for?

Fields of Gold - Sting