Day 19- Going Further with God
SCRIPTURE:
And he went further, and fell on the ground, and prayed - Mark 14:35
DEVOTION:
To think of Yeshua, leaving the closest of his disciples and moving further away from them to fall on the ground and pray. To think of how he must have felt…it should break our hearts. Some of us are satisfied with a “surface” relationship with Father. Some of us want a deeper relationship with our Lord and yearn for that intimacy on a daily basis. Some of us desire to share the Holiest of moments with our Lord.Think of Jesus when He was in the garden of Gethsemane, where were His disciples? Peter, John & James were asleep, Judas was busy coordinating with the Pharisees and those who wanted to have Yeshua killed. He knew where Jesus was but his desire to go to the Garden was to be there not to comfort Yeshua but only for selfish reasons. Where were His other disciples? Were they too busy to even consider where Jesus was or that He was going through the most difficult time in His life? Where would you have been? Where are you when those in your life are going through trying times?
REFLECTION & SHARING:
Father is calling us all to go deeper in our prayer life with Him. He is calling us to stand in the gap for our brothers and sisters. He is calling us to feel His Presence to sense what and who He wants us to pray for and how to pray. Father wants us to experience a closer relationship with Him, one where we can experience the most sacred things of Him. He wants to share this with us, do we want to share it with Him?
2 Comments
I read this devotion on my own in my mind and then again aloud with my husband. Reading it aloud tugged at me in a different way. Hearing that our Lord and Savior, the Darling of Heaven, The Son of God, The Lily of The Valley, The Bright and Morning Star, My Jehovah Shaddai, The God who told the Sun and The Moon where to stay in orbit and when The God who told the ocean it can only go this, This mighty God of Creation felt so alone, so tired, so overwhelmed, so frail, so fragile with what was He was about to face that He asked his closest disciples to watch with him for and hour, to intercede for Him while He agonized over what He was about to face, yet they slept. This thought tugged at me and I had to ask for forgiveness for the times I should have been awake interceding and I fell asleep. Now I am not talking about sweet slumber but I am talking about being asleep while being physically awake. Lord, forgive me Lord, for being asleep when I needed to be interceding for a brother or a sister or a mother or a father, a child of yours Lord who is agonizing and I was not sober and vigilant, I was not open to hear your prompting to stand in the gap for them, to prop them up on every bending side, to pick up the phone, to stop by, to give them a hug, a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on.... Oh my LORD, forgive me and help me to be more cognizant of those around me who need me to watch and pray with them. Mercy me Oh Lord!!! Amen
“Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died.”
This hymn holds a special place in my heart, as it was one of my favorites when I first began my walk with the Lord at the tender age of 13. It reminds me that true peace and contentment come not from worldly accolades but from drawing closer to God. Over the years, I’ve learned that it is in that sacred hour spent daily in His presence—seeking Him in prayer—that I find clarity, strength, and the grace to align my will with His purposes.
One of the most beautiful gifts of dwelling in God’s presence is how He makes us sensitive to the needs of others. This week, as I coped with the anniversary of my brother’s passing, I threw myself into a new project—a familiar refuge in times of grief. The excitement of starting something new became a welcome distraction. Yet, without me saying a word, my friends knew. They instinctively drew closer, offering their presence and support. It was a reminder that while God may not show up in the flesh, He sends people as His hands and feet to walk with us through sorrow.
And though I have nothing to offer Him in return, my highest praise today is Hallelujah. For His nearness, His comfort, and His abiding love—I am forever grateful.