"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Mark 1:35 (NIV)
Do we talk more about God than to God?
On our ride to the Outer Banks this past weekend, we stopped at the Hatteras Lighthouse.
There in the parking lot was a small, beat up car with a motorcycle strapped to the top of it. As you can well imagine, the owner, a young man, and his vehicle got a lot of attention. Smartphones and cameras were out snapping photo after photo. We could all see the bike, it was lifted up, prominently displayed. We knew the make (an old Honda Rebel) and discovered that yes, it still ran. He was just transporting it that way.
But you know, even though that young man clearly valued the bike, displayed it for all to see, and even spoke about it to others, he was not riding it. He was not experiencing the motorcycle as it was meant to be used.
Jesus took every opportunity to get away to secluded places and pray. And we can even see, when he didn't have the time, he made the time. Not out of some sense of guilt, but out of the love relationship he had with his father. Talking about God, lifting up God for all to see wasn't enough. He wanted to spend time with his father.
We are saved not just from our sins, not just from this world, but to restore a right relationship with God. To walk once more with Him as Adam did in the cool of the Garden.
If we miss that, we miss the point.
-MB
