Have you heard disturbing news and felt the need to go to a quiet place to process it? Have you felt the need to be alone to calm yourself, think through some things, to plan your next steps? Were you disappointed when others would not allow you the alone time you needed?
We all have times when we need to be alone. We need to think. We need to pray. We need to process what just happened. We need to mourn. We need to determine how we will move forward. Yet, there may be people in our lives who hang around who need our attention.
Jesus had one of these situations. Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been beheaded. He wanted to go to a secluded place to pray, think, and plan. He got in a boat to head to just such a place. But when He got there, He saw a large crowd who needed Him. Rather than sending them away, He cured their sick. I’m sure He was weary. Yet, He attended to the needs of those who followed Him.
When we hear unsettling news and need time to think and pray, we may also seek a secluded place. We may find there are others who need our help. What do we do? If we are to follow Jesus’ example, we will attend to the needs of others. But we can only do that if we have a close relationship with Him and draw on His strength. If we attempt to do it on our own, we will run ourselves into the ground. It is by Jesus’ strength that we can go beyond what we believe are our limits. Therefore, we need to be strengthening our relationship with Him every day.
I pray we all strengthen our relationship with Jesus. I pray we follow His example of serving others. I pray each one of us will lean on the strength of Jesus when we think we have hit our limit. Strengthen your relationship with Jesus. Serve others like Jesus. Lean on the strength of Jesus.
Matthew 14:13-14 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
Marty Pressey 