“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land” (Mark 6:45-47 ESV).
Jesus dismisses the crowd. He requests that the disciples leave. He then seeks out a place far from distraction–the mountain. And he prays. Jesus changes the circumstance so that he can pray. Jesus was unwilling for his prayer life to be dictated by circumstances. Too often we pray only when the right situation finds us. We blame our surroundings, our position, our season in life, or our schedule for our lack of prayer. Yet Jesus was different. Circumstances did not dictate his prayer life. His prayer life dictated his circumstances. He didn’t wait for the right situation to find him. He created the right situation.
What keeps you from prayer? How might you take control of that barrier today? Change whatever you need to change and pray about the next big step for Highland.
