Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Matthew 14 and Psalm 14

As opposition to Jesus mounted among the religious and political rulers, Jesus received the tragic news of His cousin John’s death at the hands of King Herod. Immediately, struck by the harsh reality of the dangerous path He was on, and needing to process what this meant for Him and for His ministry, Jesus sought out time alone with the Father.

¹³ As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone.

His time with the Father was intruded on before it even began, however, as the persistent multitude of spiritually hungry people tracked Him down. Out of compassion, Jesus healed the sick among them. That evening, again out of compassion, Jesus ministered to them in a different way. Taking all the food available to Him – five loaves and two fish – Jesus miraculously fed the crowd of five thousand men (plus women and children).

As soon as all their needs were met though, Jesus’ pursuit of time with the Father resumed:

²² Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. ²³ After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

In fact, as we read further, we see that Jesus was there until the early hours of the next morning (v.25). Despite – or perhaps because of – His weariness from a full day of ministry and the shock and loss of John’s execution, Jesus persisted in making the time to be alone with the Father. Just as the crowd had been so persistent in their pursuit of Jesus, Jesus was persistent in His pursuit of the Father. Urgent needs that intruded into His fellowship with the Father only led to a delay, but never a cancellation of that time. As it turned out, Jesus had sacrificed His sleep to minister to the crowd earlier in the day – because His time with the Father was a non-negotiable and He would not rest physically until He had rested spiritually with the Father.

Life Application: Jesus our Lord is our ultimate Example and Guide. At the end of the day today, take time to spend with the Father, processing the day and all its challenges in prayer. If you need a Guide for that time, consider using the Evening Prayer Guide, downloadable from the Resources Page, or by clicking here.