Day 149: Quiet Time with God

Mark 1:21-45; 2 Samuel 3:2-39; Daniel 2:1-23

Jesus had the power to heal people of really bad diseases. Why do we think that he still doesn't have that power?  I always thought that such things were no longer possible, but the more I talk to people, the more stories I hear of people being made well from crippling diseases. The only difference is that today, Jesus works through us to do that healing.

Think we don't need to spend quiet, alone time in prayer with God? Jesus did, and he WAS God. Jesus even got up "very early" to pray. Awhile later, after the disciples have slept in, checked facebook, and eaten breakfast, they go looking for him. They should have been following his example, but instead, they didn't really understand the purpose of the quiet time and felt like they need to just being doing stuff. That is a huge trap for people today. We think that we need to be DOING things in order to be making a difference, but as many will tell you, you can't keep going and going without some fuel. These quiet times in the morning are so precious and powerful. Even when it means getting up really early, I look forward to this time and would not miss it. Jesus knew that he needed to maintain his relationship with the Father, that he needed guidance in his mission, that he needed help in life; he wasn't going to get that from any self-help book or tv show. If Jesus needed that and he was God, how much more do we need that quiet time with The Lord!

The story in Daniel is an excellent example of the reality of God and the worthlessness of other gods. I believe today that God is still able to do such things: that when people think that they will get the answer from some spirit or earth force or other hocus pocus, they receive nothing. Only God has the real power. The King's magicians in this story did not have real wisdom or power, they needed some sort of headstart in order to make up something. There is no supernatural power or truth to what they were doing or capable of. Then there was Daniel, who simply prayed to God and then praised God for the answers. God gives true wisdom.