As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowd heard where he was headed and followed by land from many villages. Matthew 14:13 (NLT)
Despair is a powerful emotion. We've all been in that place of hearing difficult news and feeling overcome with shock, disbelief, grief, and hopelessness. Jesus had such a moment when he heard about the gruesome death of John: his cousin, partner in ministry, and prophet of God. John had prepared the way for Jesus' arrival. John had faithfully followed God's call on his life, and now, like many prophets before him, he was dead. An innocent, holy man of God was brutally murdered at the wish of a bitter wife, a thoughtless daughter, and a spineless king.
As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself...
Jesus was popular at this point in His ministry. Word had gotten around of His power to heal and His amazing teachings, and rumors were flying that He was the Messiah, the one who had come to save them. To be alone, Jesus had to make a deliberate point to do so. He had to have a plan. He couldn't wander off and disappear. Someone would see Him and He would be followed. He managed to make it to a boat and set sail, but there was a crowd waiting for Him on the other side.
We know from other accounts of this time that Jesus wasn't actually alone. His disciples were with Him. They had just returned from a mission trip to teach about the nearness of God's Kingdom, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. (Matt. 10:5-15). The disciples had returned to tell Jesus all they had done, and Jesus was ready for some solitude after being rather busy Himself--and hearing some difficult news.
We don't know what Jesus did during those hours before they made it to the remote area on the other side of the sea. We don't know how much time He had. We don't know what He thought about, what prayers He prayed, what He said to His disciples, if He took a nap, or what His state of mind was. We know from other times Jesus slipped away from the crowds that He used that time to pray, teach His disciples, and rest. He probably did all three.
If Jesus made a deliberate point to seek what He needed for a difficult, heart-wrenching situation, how much more do we need to do the same?
I spent some time last week in a peaceful place. I went to my childhood home to visit with my large family. I was there with my three kids, and a lot of us were there at various moments, but I found some time to be alone with the beauty and peacefulness of the country setting surrounding me. Alone with God, Bible on my lap, pen in hand, writing out verses and thoughts and prayers in my journal as I often do. God met me there in a unique way as I read about Jesus hearing the horrible news about John and going off by Himself.
I imagined what Jesus may have done during that time, and I wrote out some ideas, but it wasn't until I read the next part of the story I could see what one of the results of this alone-time was. At first it seems interruptive, as if His plan didn't work. He wanted to be alone, He wanted his disciples to rest, but a large crowd was waiting for Him on the other side. But as I read what Jesus did, I came to a different conclusion.
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
Jesus had a good reason to send them away. They needed food and He could probably use some rest from the long day and more time alone to cope with His grief. But He didn't. I think Jesus was reminded of a few things on the boat ride over. He may have been feeling weary, defeated, heartbroken, and hopeless in the darkness of a tragic event, but He chose to believe what was true: He could continue on with His ministry despite difficult circumstances. He couldn't stop now. His disciples had accomplished some great things, and He had more to teach them. They needed to believe in the work they still had to do and the power they possessed to accomplish it.
Jesus told the disciples they could feed the people. They didn't believe they could, so He did it. He took the little food they had and multiplied it to feed the thousands who were there. I wonder why they doubted in their ability to do the same? Hadn't they just returned from a great ministry tour of teaching, healing, and seeing God's power flow through them? What happened to their faith?
Perhaps they weren't thinking about Jesus' words that way. They were only thinking about the regular way to get food, not imagining it could happen supernaturally. Sometimes when things seem completely impossible to us we are more likely to say, 'Okay, this can only happen with God's power,' and we put our faith in Him. We have no other choice. But when we know there are other ways, we fall back on the logical way of getting things done.
Jesus could have done the logical thing and sent the people to find food for themselves. But He didn't. He put His faith completely in God's power to do the impossible. He wanted His disciples to do the same. He wants me to do the same. When Jesus tells me I have the power to do something, no matter how impossible it seems, I can believe Him!
Difficult circumstances cannot stop me. Pain, confusion, weariness, despair, lack of resources or skill--these are not roadblocks, they are an opportunity for me to exercise greater faith. And greater faith yields greater results.
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Jesus always welcomes my faith. He never says, 'No, you can't do that. It's impossible.' He only questions my doubt.
You may have a good reason for being in despair. You may feel overwhelmed with difficult circumstances or a task that is too great. You may need to have some time to yourself. You may need to have some time with God. You may need to rest awhile.
But don't doubt your ability to carry on. Don't give up. Don't stop meeting the needs of others and having compassion. Don't stop sharing the truth. Don't stop doing what God has called you to do. Have faith in who He is and in who He has made you to be. Have faith to do great things.
I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit...By his mighty power at work within us , he is able to accomplish infinitely more that we would ever dare to ask or hope. Ephesians 3:16,20 (NLT)
Despair is a powerful emotion. We've all been in that place of hearing difficult news and feeling overcome with shock, disbelief, grief, and hopelessness. Jesus had such a moment when he heard about the gruesome death of John: his cousin, partner in ministry, and prophet of God. John had prepared the way for Jesus' arrival. John had faithfully followed God's call on his life, and now, like many prophets before him, he was dead. An innocent, holy man of God was brutally murdered at the wish of a bitter wife, a thoughtless daughter, and a spineless king.
As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself...
Jesus was popular at this point in His ministry. Word had gotten around of His power to heal and His amazing teachings, and rumors were flying that He was the Messiah, the one who had come to save them. To be alone, Jesus had to make a deliberate point to do so. He had to have a plan. He couldn't wander off and disappear. Someone would see Him and He would be followed. He managed to make it to a boat and set sail, but there was a crowd waiting for Him on the other side.
We know from other accounts of this time that Jesus wasn't actually alone. His disciples were with Him. They had just returned from a mission trip to teach about the nearness of God's Kingdom, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. (Matt. 10:5-15). The disciples had returned to tell Jesus all they had done, and Jesus was ready for some solitude after being rather busy Himself--and hearing some difficult news.
We don't know what Jesus did during those hours before they made it to the remote area on the other side of the sea. We don't know how much time He had. We don't know what He thought about, what prayers He prayed, what He said to His disciples, if He took a nap, or what His state of mind was. We know from other times Jesus slipped away from the crowds that He used that time to pray, teach His disciples, and rest. He probably did all three.
If Jesus made a deliberate point to seek what He needed for a difficult, heart-wrenching situation, how much more do we need to do the same?
I spent some time last week in a peaceful place. I went to my childhood home to visit with my large family. I was there with my three kids, and a lot of us were there at various moments, but I found some time to be alone with the beauty and peacefulness of the country setting surrounding me. Alone with God, Bible on my lap, pen in hand, writing out verses and thoughts and prayers in my journal as I often do. God met me there in a unique way as I read about Jesus hearing the horrible news about John and going off by Himself.
I imagined what Jesus may have done during that time, and I wrote out some ideas, but it wasn't until I read the next part of the story I could see what one of the results of this alone-time was. At first it seems interruptive, as if His plan didn't work. He wanted to be alone, He wanted his disciples to rest, but a large crowd was waiting for Him on the other side. But as I read what Jesus did, I came to a different conclusion.
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
Jesus had a good reason to send them away. They needed food and He could probably use some rest from the long day and more time alone to cope with His grief. But He didn't. I think Jesus was reminded of a few things on the boat ride over. He may have been feeling weary, defeated, heartbroken, and hopeless in the darkness of a tragic event, but He chose to believe what was true: He could continue on with His ministry despite difficult circumstances. He couldn't stop now. His disciples had accomplished some great things, and He had more to teach them. They needed to believe in the work they still had to do and the power they possessed to accomplish it.
Jesus told the disciples they could feed the people. They didn't believe they could, so He did it. He took the little food they had and multiplied it to feed the thousands who were there. I wonder why they doubted in their ability to do the same? Hadn't they just returned from a great ministry tour of teaching, healing, and seeing God's power flow through them? What happened to their faith?
Perhaps they weren't thinking about Jesus' words that way. They were only thinking about the regular way to get food, not imagining it could happen supernaturally. Sometimes when things seem completely impossible to us we are more likely to say, 'Okay, this can only happen with God's power,' and we put our faith in Him. We have no other choice. But when we know there are other ways, we fall back on the logical way of getting things done.
Jesus could have done the logical thing and sent the people to find food for themselves. But He didn't. He put His faith completely in God's power to do the impossible. He wanted His disciples to do the same. He wants me to do the same. When Jesus tells me I have the power to do something, no matter how impossible it seems, I can believe Him!
Difficult circumstances cannot stop me. Pain, confusion, weariness, despair, lack of resources or skill--these are not roadblocks, they are an opportunity for me to exercise greater faith. And greater faith yields greater results.
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Jesus always welcomes my faith. He never says, 'No, you can't do that. It's impossible.' He only questions my doubt.
You may have a good reason for being in despair. You may feel overwhelmed with difficult circumstances or a task that is too great. You may need to have some time to yourself. You may need to have some time with God. You may need to rest awhile.
But don't doubt your ability to carry on. Don't give up. Don't stop meeting the needs of others and having compassion. Don't stop sharing the truth. Don't stop doing what God has called you to do. Have faith in who He is and in who He has made you to be. Have faith to do great things.
I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit...By his mighty power at work within us , he is able to accomplish infinitely more that we would ever dare to ask or hope. Ephesians 3:16,20 (NLT)
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