When we last saw Jesus, He had been in the synagogue on the Sabbath and had released a man from demon possession during the worship service. Truly, what better way to worship than to see someone released from the clutches of Satan!
After the Sabbath worship service, Jesus walked next door to Peter’s house for a wonderful Sabbath meal. When Jesus entered, He did not find a joy-filled house. Peter’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever. I can imagine that Peter’s wife was worried about her mother, and was perhaps a bit distracted and not quite focused on the guests.
As soon as Jesus found out about the illness, “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.” (Mark 1:31)
Joy reigned in the house again, and everyone, including Peter’s mother-in-law, enjoyed the fellowship meal.
But the day was not done for Jesus. “At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door.” (Mark 1:32-33)
I wonder if the man who was released from demon possession during the worship service early in the day had spent the afternoon telling everyone he met about his new-found freedom and how Jesus gave him a new life. Perhaps this is why “the whole city was gathered together at the door” to Peter’s house.
Person after person worked their way through the line to see Jesus. A healing here. A prayer there. A hug for someone who just couldn’t go on any more. A touch. Freedom. Joy. Singing. Spontaneous praise to God. No one had seen anything like it before.
The day was long, and Jesus must have been exhausted. Any of us after a day like Jesus had would hate to set the alarm clock for the next morning. We would want to drain every last drop of sleep that we could. But not Jesus.
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
And just like that, conviction slaps me in the face.
Jesus had had an exhausting day of healings, hand-to-hand battle with demons, ministering to the brokenhearted, and lifting and removing heavy burdens. And yet, even after all that, sleep was secondary for Him. What was most important for Him in His daily routine was quality (and most likely quantity) time with His Father.
The secret to Jesus’ power was not the number of hours He slept each night, although getting sleep is needful and good. The secret to Jesus’ power was the time He spent in prayer and connection with His Father.
May each of us make a commitment to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and intentionally carve out time every morning to be with Him.
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.” (Psalm 63:1-3)
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