Mark 6: 45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray. --NIV
In the name of Jesus, amen.
Have you ever felt like you just needed to get away? Did you ever look for time alone, and really treasure that time? That is a natural thing for human beings. We need time to ourselves. Because of this need, the health care industry urges people to practice variations of transcendental meditation (TM). TM allows a person to get away from it all, with out going away. It is claimed that TM has no connection to any religion, but if you read the early books on TM by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, you will find that TM is all about being connected with a god. Since meditation serves either to empty yourself of all things so that demonic powers may influence you (as in TM) or to fill you with God's word, all forms of meditation that focus on a word or phrase should be avoided by a Christian, who will want to meditate the way Jesus did--in prayer and contemplation of God's word.
The fact is that we need to have time away from the troubles and difficulties of this life. We need to spend time just thinking and meditating on God's word. When it is time to do that, we have a Savior who has "been there, done that." When we need to meditate, we can ask Him for His help. It is kind of like asking your best friend to be quietly near you when you want to be alone. And, what is more, when Jesus is near us the few words He speaks through His word will refresh us and build us up. May Christ-God build you up and refresh you so that you may continue to do the things He has given you to do. Amen.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, like You we have times when we need to get away. When those times come, go with us up on the mountain and be near us. Softly speak to us through the Scriptures, and give us the strength to continue on in this life. Amen.
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